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Qatar seeks NZ company
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) recently held an advisory board meeting
under its Beachheads programme in Qatar. Through this two-year programme New
Zealand companies are provided with faster access to better international
networks. It connects interested companies to a network of advisors who can
provide detailed insights into doing business in a specific international market
as in Qatar. "The focus of companies in New Zealand has shifted from
Western countries to the region. With Qatar becoming a major hub of industrial
activities and development, a number of companies are keen on knowing about the
market here," NZTE counsel general and trade commissioner Wayne Mikkelsen
told The Peninsula.
(6 March 2010)


Missouri dairy kings
New Zealander Kevin Van der Poel, 46, remembers the skepticism and suspicion
when he moved to Missouri more than four years ago to raise dairy cattle. When
Van der Poel started construction on rock walkways for moving cattle between
pastures, rumour spread that he was building housing for victims of Hurricane
Katrina. Some locals thought his cows seemed too thin and speculated that they
had to go too far to forage or weren't adequately protected from the elements.
He was a foreigner who had purchased a prized farm and had a different way of
doing things. Some folks told him he would fail — though you would be
hard-pressed to get many of them to say so now. Instead, Van der Poel is among
those credited with boosting the state's reeling dairy industry. Now, on just
over 2000ha, Van der Poel has 3800 dairy cows and an additional 2000 still too
young to milk. The operation pumps about US$6 million a year into the local
community and employs 28 people, about a third the number required to run a
confinement dairy with a similar-sized herd.In the last few years, he and a
handful of New Zealanders have invested US$100 million in Missouri's dairy
industry, which annually generates more than US$900 million in economic impact.
The New Zealanders operate four dairies and own almost 10 per cent of the
state's herd. And with milk prices so low, their less expensive methods —
which mostly involve a different way of feeding cows — are luring converts.
"Their impact has been so significant in our state that it's hard to get
your arms around it," said executive director of the Missouri Dairy
Association David Drennan.
(11 January 2010)


Dishy beef cakes
Wellington waiters Strip-of-Meat
are a company with "a dress code that involves a lot of skin" writes
website Inventorspot. "Yes, we've seen plenty of businesses of this sort
lately, but with a name like this as part of their marketing plan; they offer
something that just can't be passed over." Wellington entrepreneur
Christian Newman said the idea for the company came after he was asked by a
friend to be a waiter at her hen's night in Taupo. "I wasn't even wearing
an apron, just a pair of underpants and a bow tie. It was a bit raunchy and made
me realise there is a market out there," Newman said.
(December 2009)


Digital industrialists
David ten Have, the 34-year-old CEO of Wellington company Ponoko
features on the cover of Inc. Magazine, as part of an article called 'The
Future of Manufacturing'. "Ponoko did not invent the laser cutter. The
machine has been around for a couple of decades … But Ponoko is the first
company to hook a laser cutter up to the Internet and let anyone, anywhere, take
control of it," says Inc. senior writer Max Chafkin. Asked what
Ponoko is trying to achieve, ten Have shares, "We're trying to take 'Made
in China' and smear it across the globe. We're designing a factory for the 21st
century." If you log on to Ponoko's website, you can find some 20,000 items
available for purchase. The items for sale are not held in inventory; they exist
digitally as design files on the company's servers. "What Ponoko really
sells is access to rapid fabrication machines allowing people to make stuff for
themselves or buy stuff that other people have designed." Ponoko was
established at TechCrunch40 2007, with a vision to reinvent how goods are
designed, made and distributed worldwide.
(01 October 2009)


Sting in UK market
Family-owned business Nelson Honey is seeking approval to market its bee venom
honey in Britain, claiming the product alleviates the symptoms of arthritis.
Britain's Food Safety Authority has to approve the marketing of any "novel
food" to check it is safe. More than 13 million pots of bee venom honey
have been sold in New Zealand over the last decade. Nelson's most popular bee
venom honey is called Nectar Ease, which sells for $21.95 (£8.95) for a 500g
pot. It contains a blend of honey derived from the native manuka and dried venom
harvested from the Apis mellifera honeybee using electrical milking machines
that send impulses to stimulate worker bees to sting through a latex film onto a
glass collector plate.
(3 July 2009)


Mothers make green
Ecostore founder Malcolm Rands has been touring American hypermarket chain
Meijer promoting his environmentally friendly household cleaning products, the
stores the exclusive retailer of his products. A well-known environmentalist in
New Zealand, Rands is working hard to gain a foothold in America's rapidly
growing eco-friendly market. His spiel of "making a difference in a small
way" seems to resonate the strongest with mothers. Ashley Riedstra, mother
of 1-year-old Wyatt Shellenbarger, stopped to talk to Rands at the Meijer in
Cascade this week. She left with a bottle of laundry liquid and whitener in her
cart after hearing that the products don't contain chemicals or perfumes.
"I like that it's good for the planet and it's good for your skin and
body," said Riedstra, 23, of Lake Odessa. A low-budget social networking
campaign targeting "mommy bloggers" has paid dividends, said vice
president of Ecostore USA Lyne Appel Downing.
(24 April 2009)


Time has flown
Auckland watchmaker Malcolm Campbell of Timeshop Watch Repairs, who has been in
business in a two metre square Lorne Street premises for almost twenty-two
years, is now to retire. Campbell told the ABC's Kerri Ritchie:
"There's not many of us around now, so a young person in the trade is very
rare, but we shall see what happens." A watchmaker for over 50 years,
Campbell says business is booming. "Strange thing with watches is that
people tend not to throw them away. They just put them in the sock drawer or in
the back of a cupboard or in a box somewhere, and 30 or 40 years later they pick
them out again and say, "Oh I like that now I think I'll get it serviced because
after all it was my Uncle Sydney's or it was Aunty Jane's gold watch so I'd like
it going and I might wear it sometimes."
(1 March 2009)


Madonna's mad for it
Wellington-based company "Phil & Ted changed my life," writes
Examiner.com's Kate Byrd of the New Zealand "stroller gurus", going on
to give ten reasons why she loves her buggy. "I researched double strollers
for months. Testing, pushing, reading. In the end I got the Phil and Ted's Sport
Buggy with the doubles kit." Byrd's reasons include: colour, weight and
width. "It's a stroller I will use for a long time and suited for children
from infant to five years with high weight limits … And did I mention that
Gwyneth Paltrow has the exact same one? Seriously, she and Madonna go on walks
together with it." Phil and Ted's Most Excellent Buggy Company's products
sell in 1800 stores in more than 43 countries. Other ventures include Mokopuna
Merino baby clothes and Bam! nursery hardware. The company also acquired Hubco,
a designer and marketer of car roof racks and accessories.
(8 January 2009)


Networking in California
Scott's Ferry-raised Victoria Ransom, 32, now based in Silicon Valley,
California, has won $450,000 in an international Internet business competition
for her design application to be used on social networking site Facebook.
Ransom's company Wildfire Interactive beat more than 600 entries with an
application to help businesses run interactive promotions, sweepstakes and
coupon giveaways. Her design allows companies, such as Pepsi and Red Bull, to
create branded promotions that can be used to reach Facebook's 130 million
members as well as other sites such as Bebo and MySpace. "One thing that is
tough right now is funding, so this is a real boost for us," said Ransom,
who graduated from Harvard with an MBA and co-founded Access Travel, an
adventure travel firm active in 16 countries. Her father, John
Ransom, said his daughter's upbringing in Scott's Ferry, near Bulls, fuelled
her entrepreneurial skills. "There're only 45 dwellings there, so the big
kids taught the little kids things at school," he said. "She
attributes a lot of her success to the tiny community."
(10 December 2008)


KR on Argentinean Edge
nzedge.com co-founder, Saatchi & Saatchi CEO and Lovemarks instigator Kevin
Roberts keynoted HSM’s Buenos Aires management conference alongside Harvard U
strategy guru Michael Porter, Nobel laureates Joseph Stiglitz (Economics) and
Muhammad Yunus (Peace), and Wikipedia creator Jimmy Wales. Speaking to an
audience of 2,000, Roberts’s advice for challenged times was “hold your
nerve; stay focused; welcome paradox; have consumer foresight; lead with
emotion; and have courage to act.” He said that the destruction of old
operating systems gave rise to new rules, new markets, new ideas and new
technologies. He noted that both Microsoft and Fedex were founded in the mid-70s
recession. “Fortune favors the brave – still.“
(27 October 2008)


Greenery in urban London
New Zealand-born James Fraser founded UK
landscape firm Avant Gardener in 1990,
which continues to operate from a nursery out of Battersea in London. One of
Fraser's latest projects is profiled in the Telegraph, which describes
artist Biddy Bunzl's south-east London garden as "a unique and intuitive
partnership between the planting and landscaping." Stepping out of Bunzl's
back door is like embarking on an adventure into an unknown landscape.
Tropical-looking palms and tree palms combine with spiky yuccas and cordylines
to give an exotic, jungly feel, interspersed with unusual plants from New
Zealand, such as spear-like lancewoods, Pseudopanax. In 2000 Fraser exhibited at
the renowned International Festival of Gardens at Chaumont-sur-Loire in France.
His designs have also featured in the Sunday Telegraph and Gardens
Illustrated.
(6 October 2008)


Unconventional movement
New Zealander Grant Harrison, 44, Hutt Valley High School old boy and owner of
American health benefits company Humana, one of the largest in the United
States, is the man behind bike-share programme Freewheelin
which has seen Democrat and Republican delegates getting about Denver and
Minneapolis on bicycles during the latest conventions. The New York Times
lists Freewheelin as one of the ten things to do in Denver on a 36-hour visit.
"You'll be hearing a lot about this convention's efforts to be
environmentally sustainable, so do your part to offset all that hot air and
borrow one," the Times recommends. Harrison was in Denver for the
August convention where he heard former president Bill Clinton,
vice-presidential nominee Joseph Biden and Obama speak. "It's pretty
exciting," he said. "It's about changing things for the future and
really impacting how people live their lives. It really is a social
movement." Freewheelin is currently in discussions to expand the program to
other cities, and plans to leave behind about 70 bicycles in both Denver and
Minneapolis-St Paul for public use after the conventions.
(10 August 2008)


Microsoft's gatekeeper
Christopher
Liddell, Chief Financial Officer at Microsoft since 2005, and the former
senior New Zealand business leader is the architect of Microsoft's recent $44.6
billion takeover offer for Yahoo. Liddell is now dealing with the rejection of
that offer and Microsoft's imminent acquisition fight. "You have to be
disciplined and ruthless," Liddell told The New York Times before Yahoo's
board turned down the offer. "We should see acquisitions as a way of
growth. We should not be embarrassed at all." Liddell, who since joining
Microsoft has made 50 acquisitions, was previously CFO at forest product company
International Paper and CEO at Carter Holt Harvey.
(11 February 2008)


Slimming with Rachel
Model and reality TV show host Rachel Hunter is the face, and figure, of US
weight loss brand Slim-Fast. Advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather chose Hunter
because she embraced a more realistic body type. EVP for strategy and planning
at Ogilvy Public Relations Therese Caruso said: "She could also talk
sincerely about her experiences, the pressures of the industry, and people who
expected her to be a different type of model, yet she stayed true to who she
was." The choice of Hunter has also enabled the brand to reach beyond
traditional women's magazines, to the target audience of 30- to 45-year-old
women.
(3 March 2008)


Some pig
A miniature variant of the NZ kune
kune pig has become the must-have pet in Britain. Chris Murray, co-owner of
Pennywell Farm in Devon, began breeding the pigs nine years ago. He crossed kune
kune with local miniature breeds, resulting in a pig that grows no bigger than a
cocker spaniel. "They are easy to house train and have a good
temperament," he says. "A sow would normally snap at you if you picked
up one of her litter, but these are amazingly content." British TV
personality Jonathan Ross has bought two of the pigs as pets for £150 each, and
Murray has had requests from as far away as Australia.
(15 October 2007)


Technology high-fliers
Marketing entrepreneur Andy
Lark is the latest New Zealander to land a top job at a leading US
technology firm. Lark has been appointed global vice-president of marketing and
communications at Dell, one of the world's largest computer makers. He joins
former Carter Holt Harvey boss Chris Liddell, now chief financial officer at
Microsoft, and ex-EDS sales head Michael Boustridge, who now leads British
Telecom's business in the Americas. As the chairman of New Zealand Trade and
Enterprise's Beachhead programme in the US, Lark has a strong involvement with
NZ businesses and industry programs. "Fortunately, Dell is supportive of my
efforts to help New Zealand companies thrive in the US and other markets,"
he said in the NZ Herald. "I wouldn't have taken the role if it had
meant giving that up."
(17 September 2007)


Burger boom
A restaurant chain founded by three New
Zealanders has become one of the most successful businesses in the booming
UK "posh burger" market. Gourmet Burger Kitchen was established six
years ago by school friends Greg Driscoll, Brandon Allen and Adam Wills. The
trio sold the business to restaurant investment company Clapham House Group for
NZ $25.7 million in 2004, staying on for 18 months as directors before cashing
out. Since the start of the 2006 financial year, Clapham House has added 13 GBK
outlets to the chain, and is currently looking for a further 100 sites across
the UK.
(10 June 2007)


Cinema success story
Auckland-based Vista
Entertainment Solutions has become one of the world's leading cinema
software providers since its launch in 1995. Vista's systems, which run entire
movie theatres from selling tickets to calculating studio royalties, are used in
nearly 600 cinemas in 30 countries, including the US, India and China. In the
small NZ market, its systems are used by major shareholder SkyCity Cinemas and
the Berkley and Rialto chains. Last year, Vista signed a partnership deal with
Scottish virtual ticketing company Mobiqa, whose mobile phone barcodes act as
coupons for sports events, concerts and conferences. "The ability to send
mobi-tickets directly will provide a very convenient new delivery channel to
cinema-goers, minimising queues at the box-office and automated ticketing
machines," said Vista chief executive Murray Holdaway in the Scotsman.
Vista is now working towards integrating its box office software with digital
projection systems.
(June 2007)


First in flight
Nelson's Ngati
Koata has become the first Maori tribe to venture into the airline industry.
The iwi aims to launch a Nelson-based passenger charter service in the next
three to four months, and has further plans for an airline freight operation.
"We are starting off small and getting into the aviation industry in a
conservative manner," said Ngati Koata Trust CEO Caron Paul, who will also
be acting CEO of the yet-to-be-named airline. The Trust has leased two 18-seat
aircraft that were previously owned by Origin Pacific Airways, a NZ regional
carrier that closed in September last year. Ngati Koata Trust is the legal
entity representing more than 5000 iwi members. Its business interests include a
ship repair yard, a furniture manufacturing company and a health and social
services arm. The Trust recently announced plans for another new and potentially
lucrative business - making and selling biodiesel to the local fishing industry,
motorists and manufacturers.
(22 May 2007)


New voice in US media marketplace
NZ-born advertising executive Antony
Young, US CEO of Optimedia, is about to publish his first book in America.
In Profitable Marketing Communication he offers US marketers a fresh
perspective on the media marketplace, based largely around successful European
campaigns and organisational models. One of his key points is the need,
particularly in the US, to move from analogue to digital: "I'm a fan of
digital, and while many talk about bringing digital into the mainstream, we [at
Optimedia] wanted to turn the organization on its head and do it." Young
began his advertising career at Saatchi & Saatchi and Colenso/BBDO in
Auckland, before spearheading Zenith Media's launch in Asia. He replaced
industry veteran Mike Drexler as CEO of Optimedia US in June last year.
(8 May 2007)


Healthy competition
A NZ healthy fast food chain has opened its first European outlet in Glasgow,
Scotland. Owner Conrad van der Klundert believes that Reload,
a South Island-based juice, salad and sandwich bar, can take on established
chains such as Subway as well as existing juice bars in the UK and Ireland. He
eventually hopes to employ between 200 and 300 staff in more than 100 stores,
with each making £350,000 annually. "We are trying to change the eating
style in as many places as possible, from fast food to healthy food," says
van der Klundert, who already operates Reload stores in Australia, Singapore and
China, as well as across NZ. The UK and Ireland franchise has been bought by
Scottish businessman Keith Stark.
(22 April 2007)


Auckland pioneers landing technique
Auckland International Airport is leading the world in trialling a landing
method designed to reduce fuel use and emissions. Beginning April 18, the test
landings will see selected Air NZ and Qantas jets glide into the airport with
engines set on idle. "We've chosen only a very small group of aircraft to
participate. [These planes] typically arrive at times of the day other traffic
is light," said airport spokesman Lew Jenkins. If successful, the program
may be tested by airports such as LAX in future.
(13 April 2007)


Two Paddocks enters asian market
Actor Sam Neill has been busy promoting his Two Paddocks
vineyard in Hong Kong, but has dismissed any suggestion of a major expansion
into China. "We're a boutique winery. I think if we started expanding into
China we'd be swallowed up in a minute," he said in the Washington Post.
Instead Neill's range of premium wines will be sold exclusively through an
organic food store in central Hong Kong. Two Paddocks is located in Central
Otago and produces just 3000 cases of wine a year.
(31 January 2007)


Future vision
Needing to know the life cycle of your business in 2030? Wondering about the
strengths and weaknesses about merging two global IT systems? Interested in the
long-term climate for pensions? Former Auckland systems manager and management
trainer Faye Cossar runs her business astrology practice Juxtaposition in the
Netherlands consulting for conglomerates such as KLM-Air France, supermarket
chain Ahold and worldwide insurer Generali on company life cycles, and
organisational development and culture which makes an ideal topic for a lecture.
The Ahold study showed that their Albert Heijn supermarkets in the Netherlands
are now in the 8th phase of a 72-year, 12-phase cycle. According to this model
there would also be a parallel with the previous phase 8, from 1935-1941.
Understanding the systems archtypes presented lessons from the past. Advice for
phase 9 starting in May 2007 could be given based on the last phase 9, 1941-
1947 and the positive themes of this phase - Involvement in Politics, Expansion,
Overseas issues. 'Big is best'. Faye Cossar was one of the first MA graduates in
Cultural Astronomy and Astrology in 2004, from Bath Spa University College, the
first university in the world to offer such a programme.
(December 2006)

Agencies with edge
The Kiwi ad industry once again proved its strength on the global stage, picking
up a slew of awards at this year's Cannes Lions Advertising Awards. Saatchi
& Saatchi won a Gold Lion in the media category for its Rubbish
Film Festival for Telecom, Aim Proximity won Gold in direct marketing for
its Body
Parts campaign for BNZ, and Colenso BBDO's Scott Maddox and Fraser Grant won
Silver Lions in the Print Young Creative category. TBWA/Whybin won two Promo
Lions for its Stand in Black and Be
the Ball campaigns for Adidas, as well as a Gold Lion in direct marketing
for its Bootscraper campaign for ASB. Stand in Black also earned TBWA/Whybin a
Gold Award and Grande Clio (Best in Show: Innovative Media) at the Clios in
Miami, Silver at ADFEST (Thailand), Bronze at the Media Spikes (Asian
Advertising Awards), and a New York One Show Bronze Pencil. Saatchi &
Saatchi New York also poured gold at Cannes for NZ client 42 Below.
(28 June 2006)


Best foot forward
NZ footwear
company, Kumfs, has reached a significant milestone in its nearly 70-year
history with the opening of its first branded store in the US - in Fresno,
California. The US and Canada account for 10.5% of Kumfs' wholesale business,
which now generates a $54.6 million annual turnover. Kumfs started as a
podiatrist clinic producing its own shoes in Auckland in the 1940s. By 1961, the
company was commercially manufacturing its own orthopaedic shoes. With factories
in Auckland and China, Kumfs now produces 9,000 pairs of shoes per week and
leads the Australasian market for fashion footwear recommended by podiatrists
and physiotherapists.
(29 May 2006)


Sudoku mania
Retired Kiwi judge, Phil Gould,
continues his path to world domination as the man behind current puzzle-page
phenomenon, Sudoku. Gould now provides puzzles for 120 newspapers in 36
different countries. “It will fade but I don't expect it to disappear for good,”
says Gould. “I think the crossword and the sudoku will sit side by side for
years to come. The crossword is there for the wordsmith and the sudoku is there
for the rest of us.”
(3 October 2005)


International man of mystery
Wayne Gould – retired NZ judge turned
“international puzzle star” – is responsible for the latest craze in newspaper
teasers, Su Doku. Gould discovered the number-based logic test in a Japanese
bookstore in 1997. After six years of labour, Gould created a computer program to
produce the puzzles, and sold the result to Rupert Murdoch’s Times. The
game has been a hit in the UK, spawning a best-selling book (and two more in the
pipeline), and has now been purchased across the Atlantic by the New York
Post.
(27 May 2005)


Christopher Luxon by Degrees
Canterbury MCom grad and nz-edger Christopher Luxon is now based in Chicago via
Australia and Europe, where he leads Unilever’s North American Deodorants
& Grooming business. Presently he is jump-starting Degree for Men
antiperspirant, advertising the brand on the Super Bowl for the first time and
breaking with the tradition of men's deodorant ads heavy on jocks or sex in
favor of action figures. "You can't shake up the world without a client who
wants to," said Dean Hacohen, exec VP-creative director, Lowe.
"Christopher Luxon champions the unorthodox. ... He's out to make things
happen." Luxon champions
risk-taking: "You can't systematically create inspiring, emotionally
engaging advertising. You really have to have the consumer running in the
bloodstream of all your marketers." While he loves the Midwestern
friendliness of Chicago and dreams of visiting all 50 states in the family Ford
Explorer, his children still have Kiwi passports and he entertains dreams of
someday becoming New Zealand's global brand manager. “That would be the
ultimate brand manager's job.”
Subscription site
(March 7 2005)

From the ashes
Air NZ was announced the winner of
Air Transport World magazine’s annual Phoenix Award in January. The award is
given to an airline which “achieves a commercial rebirth through a life-changing
transformation.” After its “near-death experience” in 2001, Air NZ has made
combined yearly profits of $331 million in its last two financial years, as well
as a 10% rise in profit before unusual items and tax for the year to June 30,
2004.
(27 January 2005)


Ben Ohau doing just fine
The South Island's MacKenzie Basin is internationally famous for two things;
providing the stunning backdrop to the final battle in the Lord of the Rings
trilogy, and producing the most consistently high quality merino wool in NZ. The
Cameron
family of Ben Ohau Station have been exporting their premium merino wool to
Europe since 1897. One of its more recent customers, Italy's Loro Piana fashion
house, has twice awarded Ben Ohau its World Wool Record Challenge Cup for the
finest bale of wool produced in a solar year. The station has also won the Loro
Piana Trophy for the NZ Record Bale for four years running. Ben Ohau currently
holds the NZ record for the finest fleece ever produced - at 12.3 microns it is
finer than cashmere. Read about the history of Ben Ohau Station in NZ Life and
Leisure here.
(3 September 2005)


The new wave
Two NZ companies made international business magazine Red Herring’s
vaunted “Top 100 Private Companies in Asia” list for 2005.
Esphion and Argent Networks, both based in Auckland, are rated as companies which could significantly affect the way
we live. Esphion is a network appliance company which specialises in securing
large IP networks by detecting faults in the network itself before they reach
computers. Argent Networks provides billing and customer service solutions for
telecommunications companies, netting much of its business from the rapidly
expanding mobile phone markets of Africa and the Middle East. Both companies are
financed by Wellington-based venture capital firm No.8 Ventures.
(2 September 2005)


Sam’s back
Called by Kerry Packer “the world’s best television executive,” NZ-born Sam Chisholm is back helming Packer’s Channel Nine. In the 90s he turned UK’s BSkyB into a cash cow for Rupert Murdoch. The
Auckland born King’s College old boy moved to Australia in his early 20s. The gruff Chisholm is equally known for his medical fortitude, having had a double-lung transplant as a result of a rare respiratory condition. Chisholm and Nine have been Australia’s top media story this year.
"Television is the most perishable commodity - we have no stock, we have no plant, we have no factory - this is a creative business...You're always trying to anticipate what your constituency wants and try to provide them with that. It's the ultimate service industry. If viewers don't like it - zap! They vote every day on what we do and if they don't like it they're quick to tell us."
(14 July 2005)


Less is more
In a study released by the World Bank, New Zealand has been named the most
business-friendly nation in the world. The study ranked 155 countries and was
based on classic American assumptions of economic success, like the idea that
the less red tape - the easier it is to do business. Singapore joined New
Zealand in the top spots while America came in at third place, followed by
Canada. The World Bank examined factors such as the ease or difficulty of hiring
and firing, the abilities of creditors to recoup money in the case of bankruptcy
and the ability to enforce contracts in court.
(14 September 2005)


Liddell to work on margins
TBR believes the addition of New Zealander Chris Liddell as Microsoft’s CFO should help usher in an era of growing operating margins and a tightening of the fiscal belt. In TBR’s opinion, the hiring of Liddell, direct from the forest industry, will bring a relatively-low margin operation mindset to Microsoft. Specifically, TBR believes Liddell will reduce expenses brought on board during Microsoft’s growth stage. During a difficult operating environment and faced with unfavorable currency headwinds, Liddell was still able to increase International Paper Co.’s operating margin 18% from 2003 to 2004, even when revenue grew only 6.5. TBR predicts Microsoft’s operating margins could expand significantly during the next one to three years as Liddell brings a more mature and responsible fiscal management culture to the company. Chris Liddell holds an engineering degree from the University of Auckland and a master of philosophy degree from Oxford University in England. Chris was a prime mover in
The Knowledge Wave and an instigator of the progressive think tank
The New Zealand Institute.
(13 May 2005)

Battle of the titans
Fonterra has made a formal takeover bid for Australian conglomerate, National
Foods, earning it the title “NZ moo-nopolist” in the Sydney Morning Herald.
The super-company already owns Australian brands Bega, Western Star, Bodalla,
Perfect Italiano and Peters & Brownes. In an ironic twist, Fonterra’s chief
competition in the takeover bid looks likely to be Graeme Hart, NZ’s most
successful entrepreneur and owner of the Burns Philip food group.
(3 November 2004)

Whinge benefits
Research undertaken at Victoria University suggests a positive side to gossiping
and whining at work. According to the report, “whingeing to a sympathetic
co-worker both reflects and constructs the close relationship between team
members, thus consolidating the team's solidarity.”
(25 October 2004)


Suntan Man
Al Baldwin,
74, has sprayed his last beachgoer. Over the past 30 years, New Zealand-born
Baldwin had become a fixture in Surfers’ Paradise beach, spraying an estimated
three million beachgoers with suntan lotion. His business was a patch of sand
where he sprayed suntan lotion on up to 600 beachgoers a day, and hired out
chairs, umbrellas and boogie boards. He grew up in a New Zealand orphanage,
moved to Sydney in the early 1950s and to the Gold Coast in 1968.
(2 September 2004)


Chisholm to Packer
New Zealand-born media supremo Sam Chisholm has
resigned as a Director of Telstra to joint Kerry Packer’s media group PBL.
Chisholm, 64, retains his chairmanship of Foxtel. He was head of Nine in
Australia for 15 years before becoming Chief Executive of British Sky
Broadcasting (BSkyB) for several years. He was Executive Director of News Corp
until 1999. Chisholm is the consummate worker of phones and backrooms in
some of the biggest Australian-led media initiatives.
(4 September 2004)


International exposure for local brew
This year's Oscar nominees sipped on
organic coffee supplied by Hawkes Bay company
Kea Foods at the pre-awards banquet held at the Beverly Hills Hilton. Kea
Foods won the contract ahead of suppliers from all over the world, a feat which
part-owner Heather Smith Martin likens to Frodo and Sam successfully returning
the ring to Mt Doom. "The
reception around the world has been really strong," says her husband and
business partner, Andrew Martin. "We've got wonderful people involved with the
company, so I think we can just keep growing it and making it a really
successful New Zealand brand."
(27 February 2004)
Trade takes off
The successful launch of the Emirates air service in NZ is expected to
dramatically increase exports to and from the Middle East. NZ exporters are now
able to fly perishable goods such as seafood and flowers directly to Middle
Eastern markets, and the Emirates freight division, Skycargo, has over 60 tonnes
of storage space available in each direction daily.
(8 November 2003)


Tips from the top
Telecom NZ CEO, Theresa Gattung, interviewed in the SMH after figures
from the second annual survey by the Equal Opportunity for Women in the
Workplace Agency show a “miniscule” improvement in the Australian corporate
world’s gender imbalance. Gattung is one of just four women heading Australia’s
top 200 companies. Her advice to the women in her field: “It's very hard to
become a CEO from the legal route or the HR route … at some stage you have to
move into the innards [i.e money-making side] of the business.”
(1 October 2003)

Pacific powerhouse
NZ’s Pacific Retail Group has purchased PowerHouse, the third largest electrical
retailer in Britain. PRG is NZ’s major player in electrical appliances, with
Noel Leeming, Big Byte and Bond & Bond all operating under its umbrella. PRG’s
Peter Halkett: “PRG is extremely enthusiastic about the PowerHouse acquisition
and is absolutely confident tstrong and growing UK retail group.”
(4 September 2003)
Going global
NZ company Airways International is
currently overseeing expansion plans for Iran's Qeshm International Airport.
"Strategically located in the Straits of Hormuz, in close proximity to
Iran, the Gulf countries and Central Asia, Qeshm Island has a vast potential for
economic growth and, as new people and business come to the island, the
airport's future is bright," says AI marketing manager, Mike Tournier. The
company plans to open an office in Dubai later this year to manage its expanding
business interests in the Middle East.
(5 June 2003)

Dinner at the Gates
Telecom NZ head, Theresa Gattung, was in attendance at Microsoft's 7th annual
CEO summit held at Microsoft's HQ in suburban Redmond, USA. She joined a
high-powered collective, including Warren Buffet, Ross Perot, Bank One's Jamie
Dimon and Hewlett Packard's Carly Fiorina, to discuss the use of technology in
business environments. The event concluded with dinner at Bill Gates' lakeside
home.
(22 May 2003)


Kuala Tarlton
NZ-based company Aquawalk is developing a state-of-the-art aquarium for the
Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. An innovative blend of natural and digital, the
"discovery zone" will contain a computerised replica of the entire
life-support system within the aquarium.
(19 February 2003)


Corporate edge makes global player
Businessman Graeme Hart - "the New Zealander with aspirations to take on
the world" - has joined the bidding war for Australia's major food group,
Goodman Fielder. If successful, he will helm a $4.3 billion combined food empire
- one of the largest in the world. Hart has made his name with risky ventures
(he steered a troubled Burns Philip back from financial ruin in 1997.) Says one
analyst: "I don't think he's motivated by proving people wrong. He's
motivated to do what he wants to do."
(14 December 2002)


Dick Hubbard: "messiah of muesli"
Kiwi entrepreneur, Dick Hubbard, profiled in Independent.
"A highly unconventional capitalist," Cereal evangelist Hubbard is NZ's chief advocate
of social responsibility in business, joining international brands such as
Benetton and The Body Shop in his claim to "consider the social and
environmental impact of [his business'] activities, rather than being fixated on
the financial bottom line." Independent: "His aims are grand;
he seeks to give New Zealanders - and the world - not only breakfast, but also
inspiration and moral leadership: sustenance for mind, body and soul."
(28 August 2002)
Kiwi to head biggest British Milk plant
A veteran
of New Zealand dairy industry projects, Steve Satherley, will be at the controls
when Britain's single biggest milk manufacturing plant starts pumping its first
milk in England next month. Mr
Satherley as operations manager for United Milk, a unique cooperative
venture which, at first, will process 7 per cent of Britain's milk supply, will
be in charge of design, building and recruitment.
(08 April 2002)

Totem - mind your own business
An alternative to working at the end
of the dining table or in the back of the car and holding business meetings in
cafes, Totem on the Viaduct is Auckland's newest business "meeting
hub".
(12 April 2002)

I see red
A New Zealand company, Knights of NZ, wins the contract to make the
Australian Olympic team's opening ceremony coats for the upcoming Winter
Olympics. Worth more than $3000 each, the coats are made from 100 per cent Kiwi baby
virgin wool. Aussie World Champion aerial skier Kirstie Marshall believes they
will threaten the sporting tradition of uniform swapping between competitors:
"I don't know that any Australians will want to swap. These look
fantastic,"
(23 January 2002)
Energetic performance
Bringing energy to the Aussies, New Zealand super-drink V grows Frucor revenue
27%.
(19 July 2001)

The new IT kiwis
"We should be treating any skilled, IT-qualified immigrant to New
Zealand like gold," says Auckland Regional Chamber of Commerce head Michael
Barnett.
(2 July 2001)


V. Good
New Zealand energy drink V rates well for taste and kick.
(13 June 2001)

Insurance chart for safe passage
Former New Zealand Shipping Company employee John Richardson's 1979 The
Merchant's Guide to Documentary Problems has guided thousands of marine
insurance under-writers through the shoals of incoterms, bills of lading,
letters of credit and other tricky areas of the trade.
Pdf
Copy
(12 May 2001)

Thin red tape
A significant part of setting up a new business is the time and money required
to negotiate government red tape. New Zealand has the world's cheapest
procedures, encouraging innovation and entrepreneurs.
(4 April 2001)

Designer fruit
With the lifting of import restrictions, labelled and polished New Zealand
apples have Hyderabad's prestige fruit market cornered.
( 4 April 2001)

Big milk
Government green light for giant diary company proposal.
(10 April 2001)
Castaway
A New Zealand consortium plans two lodges on Pitcairn Island, home to the descendants
of the Bounty mutineers.
(31 March 2001)

Everybody on board
"Kiwi Experience, a hop-on-hop-off backpacker bus service that was created
in New Zealand in 1998 proved
such a successful concept that it became a blueprint for imitators around the
world."
(3 March 2001)


Major milk player
New Zealand's newly-minted Global Dairy Company has the size to "become
a serious challenger to the likes of Nestle, Danone and Kraft" in world
diary markets.
(5 January 2001)

Good mooves
"New Zealands dairy industry enjoys a strong position from which to
attain leadership status in the global marketplace, especially with the recently
inked merger pact between its two biggest players," says Alan Jackson of
Boston Boston Consulting Group.
(16 January 2001)

First time
Christchurch Casino has placed a clock in its gaming room - a first for the industry,
which usually likes punters to forget the outside world exists.
(17 December 2000)


Guru Gilson
Clive Gilson, University of Waikato Professor, co-author of Peak Performance:
Business Lessons From the World's Top Sports Organisations, and motivational
coach, to "is to turn the [English] Football Association from its traditional home for semi-retired
blazers into a Peak Performing Organisation".
(5 November 2000)

High stakes
Christchurch Casinos Limited and international affiliate CryptoLogic have
debuted Kiwi Casino on the net. Punters
drop their dollars surrounded by "the exotic sub-tropical rainforests of
New Zealand".
(5 October 2000)

Sir Ron Brierley: 61 not out
Sir Ron described by the Financial Times as the "cricket mad
corporate raider" and "one of the most controversial corporate
figures of the past twenty years" knocked the London Stock Exchange for six
when his Guiness Peat Group opposed the merger between the LSE and Deutsche
Borse.
The swashbuckling former stamp-collector is known for batting off the front
foot.
(11 August 2000)

"Brain drain clouds NZ's future" - refuse the hype and get to the edge
More centric thinking, this
time from London's Observer, "New Zealander's are leaving
their country in droves, placing a strain on the economy and painting a grim
picture for the future." Our opinion: New Zealand Edgers of the world
network and take over.
(13 June 2000)

Kiwi revolutionises advertising through seamless internet surfing
Financial Times special report "Japanese Internet Tsumani",
looks at how the internet is making reaching customers easy: "you can be
sitting in the back of a taxi in a traffic jam checking your stocks, paying
bills. It is seamless", says New Zealander Jonathan Hendricksen,
president of ValueClick Japan.
(May 2000)



Kiwi ex-bellboy now Japan dotcom millionaire
Young entrepreneur Jonathan Hendricksen this week became the
first foreigner to list a company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange - and overnight
made himself a $150 million fortune. The former hotel doorman has a 15%
stake in billion dollar on-line advertising company ValueClick.
(May 2000)
0800 GAZZA - personalised phone numbers up for sale in Britain
Henry Newrick, a New Zealand entrepreneur, who brought the idea to Britain,
says, "They will change the way people think about phone numbers and make
them more memorable and certainly valuable".
(6 April 2000)

dot.com dream
Kiwi Victoria Davies is among the silicon dolls burnt by the dot.com
crash. She's now on a $100,000+ salary, but has less confidence in stock
options, "I don't look at it as my ticket to being a millionaire because I
really don't think it's that easy".
(11 December 2000)

Kosher washer
Dishdrawers by Fisher & Paykel are
taking the American Jewish market by storm. The separate compartments make
them the kosher washer of choice according to New Zealand sources close to the
Paykel family.
(19 November 2000)

A little to the right...
New Zealand entrepreneur
James Sampson is launching a live sex site based in Christchurch.
Viewers will be able to issue instructions to the workers.
(25 October 2000)

V good
New Zealand company Frucor, dominant in the NZ and Australian energy drinks
market, feels V ready to compete with international behemoth Coca-Cola. "We
believe we can grow the market fivefold in Australia," says CEO
Mark Cowsill.
(2 October 2000)
Crushing Cushing
Ansett International is looking to expand into Asian and European routes,
challenging Australian giant Qantas. Asked how worried Qantas executives should
be about the new competition, Air New Zealand executive chairman Selwyn Cushing
advised them to "take strong librium".
(24 September 2000)

A funeral to die for
Death is finding new life on the web: a
New Zealand-based Web site, www.funeralstodiefor.com, will plan a customer's
last rites down to the choice of music and type of flowers--and promises to help
make the ceremony happen when the time comes.
(17 May 2000)

"She is right mate" New Zealand sheep and cattle farmers reap
benefit of revolution
Immense changes under way in NZ farming, ranging from challenges of
e-commerce and overseas trade restraints, to the costly introduction of organic
produce and changing market demands, mean that NZ farming is poised for one of
its most rewarding and profitable years in a decade.
(4 May 2000)

Kiwifruit big brand
inspiration for Malaysian fruits
Dr Aziz Abdul Rahman claims the answer to Malaysia's fruit marketing woes:
"There is a need to internationalise our products with a brand that
will be associated with the country such as 'Sunkist' or 'Kiwi fruit' had
done for the US or New Zealand respectively".
(May 2000)

Anti Spam crusade
A Palmerston North, New Zealand-based firm ORBS (Open Relay Behaviour-Modification Service) is joining the crusade to save the suffering
masses from the indignity of spam. Identifying culpable open servers, ORBS then
persuades their administrators to close them by blacklisting that site.
(21 July 2000)


Kevin Roberts punts Saatchi & Saatchi into the Premier League
The ideas shop meets 'La Difference' when it was announced that Saatchis was
to merge, for £1.24 billion, with French giant Publicis. Celebrating
the merger, as well as scooping creative awards at Cannes and the company's booming
fortunes, Kevin raised a Kiwi toast to jubilant staff, "Go buy
your people and your colleagues across the way at Publicis a cold beer [or
French champagne]."
(22 June 2000)
Kiwi chosen to restore sparkle to Britains's
Millennium Crown
Kiwi Former head of British pay-TV operator
BSkyB, Sam Chisholm, has
been appointed the new head of the much hyped, but troubled, Millennium
Dome. Despite anger from Labour backbenchers at its public cost, Chisholm
insists he will look to the future and "build on what has already been
achieved".
(24 May 2000)

GST fringe not so taxing
"New Zealand's goods and services tax is relatively foolproof because
it makes few exceptions, but it hasn't stopped those with a touch of
entrepeneurial flair making the odd killing, especially on the land."
(21 May 2000)

Moving Places: Peter Carr
Peter Carr has been promoted to chief financial officer and chief actuary of
Pearl Assurance, the life and pensions arm of AMP. Carr joined Pearl as
chief actuary from AMP New Zealand.
(19 May 2000)
Wall Street gets emotional rescue from the edge
Kevin Roberts says there is a challenge for the 'anti-social medium' of the web,
traditional advertising and product design in general. That is, to get emotional
and to create mystery and sensuality in order to re-connect with people.
"These cowboys are obsessed with technology instead of ideas. They think
that "e" stands for electronic, when "e" stands for
emotion."
(18 May 2000)

New Zealand gets a tonic from deer
The booming Korean economy not only means a boost for New Zealand
tourism
but also the deer industry as it has boosted the demand for deer velvet, the soft
precursor to antler widely used in oriental medicine.
(26 April 2000)


Guinness Peat told to bugger off and have a beer
New Zealand listed corporate raider Guinness Peat's edge proved too sharp at Young &
Co (Britain's oldest brewery), after chairman John Young
turned the screws on them using megaphone diplomacy. Despite having support from 'A'
investors, private shareholders revolted: one investor said Guinness Peat should
"take its money and run back to the land of the amber nectar".
(19 July 2000)


Kiwi's big fightback in the war of whiteware
They might have won the
eponymous netball cup, but at least someone's beating the Aussies: Fisher & Paykel increased its Australian market share and boosted its
annual profit above expectations to A$43 million, a 290% improvement on its
previous years performance. Fisher & Paykel are renowned for their innovative
design solutions.
(9 June 2000)

Management executives on the move
Tim Corcoran, who studied law at
Canterbury University, New Zealand, is to become chief financial officer of
Prolifix Ltd, a privately owned pharmaceutical company that is a leader in cell
cycle research.
(4 May 2000)

Our trans-Tasman neighbours may have more of the amber gold flowing at
after-match celebrations lately, but guess where the money's going?
Toheeys and Hahn is going to be the new tap-beer in over 300 Victorian pubs
as New Zealand's Lion Nathan announces an aggressive A$100million pub buy-out in
an effort to gain leverage in the Melbourne beer wars.
(8 April 2000)

Beware of Frankenfood
New Zealand has developed a niche in the prosperous international organics
market. "New Zealand, for example, is developing its organics markets
with great success and produce from that country can be found in health food
shops around the world, supporting the claim that 'organics means
business'."
(25 March 2000)

Versatile machine
Pakistani engineers have developed a "bed shaper cum seed drill",
and are exporting the all-purpose agri-tool to Uzbekistan thanks to New Zealand
sponsorship.
(19 November 2000)


Hard work stars to pay off for
Kiwi organic pioneers
At first farmers were concerned labelling
certain products 'organic' would
tarnish others as inferior, but many are beginning to see that increasing
demand from consumers, home and abroad cannot be ignored, as New Zealand
pioneers like Angela Aitchison are discovering.
(3 May 2000)

Buttery New Zealand
invention Spreads the word
As British consumers have become more concerned about food safety, Anchor
has taken advantage of New Zealand's clean, green image to promote its
spreadable butter - a product invented by the New Zealand Dairy Board.
(6 May 2000)

Large natural gas field discovered, NZ's second largest
Newly discovered by Fletcher Challenge Energy, the gas field Pohokura may be
New Zealand's second largest and help underpin a sustainable gas supply for New
Zealand's future.
(21 June 2000)

Jet #2
easyJet CEO, Kiwi Ray Webster owns around £2m in easyJet stock after the
company floated on the London Exchange.
(16 November 2000)


Kiwi in the house
Kiwifruit-based products from Evolu rate
with Estee Lauder, Chanel and Givenchy as a key product line at the House of
Fraser, Oxford Street's newest beauty arena.
(1 November 2000)


Banking on success
39 year-old Stuart
Grimshaw used to put his body on the line for New Zealand, playing hockey at top
international level. These days, as the new CEO of the Clydesdale and Yorkshire
banks, his eyes are firmly on the bottom line. His plan is "to build a team
to attack the top end of the market. Were saying we are here to play and this
is a long-term commitment."
PDF Copy
(27 August 2000)

New Zealand high school dropout blazes a trail in Bit Valley
Terrie Lloyd runs one of Bit Valley's (Tokyo's answer to Silicon) most
successful start-up companies, Daijob.com, the largest on-line recruiting firm
in Japan, as well as his English- language J@pan Inc magazine, which has
virtually no competitors. Edge attitude: "The market doesn't care about
whether you have an MBA, the market just cares about the quality of your
solutions."
(6 July 2000)
Macpac knack
Macpacs made their reputation being hauled up and down New Zealand
mountains. They're also good for gentle English country walks.
(28 October 2000)
New Zealand firm to introduce CNG equipment to Pakistan
Prescon Technology Limited has been chosen to introduce quality Compressed
Natural Gas equipment to Pakistan, as well as introducing new and cheap water
filters for domestic and commercial treatment plants. The aim of the enterprise
is to "improve the health of the people and control
air and water pollution."
(5 August 2000)


How to Command Attention, Change Minds, and Influence People
Yes! we can finally tell you how to be the better you: the Dallas Morning
Herald business section offers their guide to summertime self-improvement,
including this "top investment" from Harry Mills of Lower Hutt, Artful
Persuasion: How to Command Attention, Change Minds, and Influence People,
offering twists on the psychology of influence.
(9 July 2000)


Global Chief
Heineken names New Zealander Alan Gourdie its global brand chief.
(7 January 2002)
Frucor's "V" for victory
The fast-growing Kiwi success story Frucor is
showing no signs of slowing. Forbes declares it among the top 20 small
companies in the world - "the cream of the crop". This international
exposure garners international interest with French food and drink giant
Group Danone launching a $242 million take-over bid for the company. Talk
about your mid-afternoon wake-up call!
(29 October 2001)


Where everyone gets some shares
400
store managers at the Warehouse Group are to receive share options with a total
value of $184 million, but Australian mangers, working in newer, smaller stores
will miss out.
(29 June 2001)
Free farming
New Zealand leads the world with a fully deregulated agricultural sector - but
big players like the US still protect and subsidise farmers, talking the
free-trade talk but not walking the walk.
(26 June 2001)


Calling Australia
Telecom New Zealand's major stake in Australia's 3G mobile network is just
the beginning according to Telcom CEO Theresa Gattung.
(12 May 2001)

Kind of milk
New Zealand Milk (Malaysia) looks to introduce "non-dairy formats"
into the local market, following extensive R and D.
PDF Copy
(4 April 2001)

Bye-bye Brierley
New Zealand business legend Sir Ron Brierley steps down as director of the eponymous
Brierley Investments.
(16 March 2001)

Blue Star buyout
International book-giant W H Smith is in negotiations to buy Whitcoull's, New
Zealand's largest book-sellers.
(7 January 2001)
|
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Ash brings business
New Zealand orchid and salmon suppliers were working overtime after the
volcanic eruption beneath Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull glacier caused
ash-related delays across the planet. "The phone started ringing hot
from the East Coast of North America," said Greg Keymer, managing
director of Eastern and Global, a cut-flower exporter in New Zealand.
"We are getting strong inquiries for Cymbidium Orchids as the Dutch
shippers out of Holland can't supply the North American start of the May
wedding market," Keymer said. "I'm getting calls from Toronto,
Chicago, New York and Quebec," Keymer said. "We normally don't
start exports until late May when the Dutch start to ease off production.
Wish we had more to send right now." When the CEO of fish farm New
Zealand King Salmon Grant Rosewarne walked into his New Zealand office on
Monday morning and saw an order for salmon from a distributor in Dubai, he
thought it was a typo. "They typically order five cartons,"
Rosewarne said. "On Monday they ordered 500 cartons." Airborne
ash may have restricted salmon supplies from Norway and other northern
European nations, but for Rosewarne and his 420 employees, the distant
Iceland volcano has brought an unprecedented boom in business, as
customers around the globe try to keep salmon on restaurant menus and
store shelves.
(20 April 2010)


Developing football
Wellington property developer Terry Serepisos,
"who decided three years ago to save professional football in New
Zealand, is the talk of his home town" writes The Sydney Morning
Herald's Michael Cockerill. "Wellington Phoenix are bigger than
the Hurricanes right now and that's saying something. Serepisos is the man
who made it happen and it's cost him more than $10 million. For that he is
lauded, promoted — he's New Zealand's
Donald Trump, having just finished hosting the local version of The
Apprentice — and respected."
Though the Phoenix were beaten by Sydney FC 4-2 in the A-League
semi-final, "right now, [Wellington] is a Phoenix town,"
Cockerill continues. "At the bottom end, local registrations are up
20 per cent and there's no longer enough parks to cater for the demand. At
the top end, two successive home finals, two bumper crowds and two epic
confrontations decided after extra time have whetted the appetite even
more."
(10 March 2010)


Lounging on air
Air New Zealand is to introduce 22 "Skycouches" — formed out of
three economy seats abreast that fold out to create a lie-flat space — in the
first 11 rows in the economy cabin of the carrier's new Boeing 777-300 planes.
The carrier is calling the "beds" the first major improvement in
economy class travel comfort in 20 years. "For those who choose, the days
of sitting in economy and yearning to lie down and sleep are gone," chief
executive officer Rob Fyfe said. "The dream is now a reality, one that you
can even share with a travelling companion — just keep your clothes on,
thanks." The first routes to offer travellers the Skycouch will be between
Auckland and Los Angeles from December 2010 and Auckland and London from April
2011.
(27 January 2010)


Auckland airport expands
Auckland International Airports has acquired Westpac's 24.55 per cent stake in
North Queensland Airports (NQA) for AU$132.8 million as part of a strategy to
grow beyond its New Zealand business. It sees Cairns as a good fit because of
its focus on Asian tourism, with Mackay's exposure to the North Queensland
resources sector an added bonus. NQA operates the nation's seventh-busiest
airport at Cairns, with 3.7 million passengers in 2008–09, as well as the
smaller Mackay airport. Both Auckland, which attracted 13 million passengers in
2008–09, and Cairns are end-point destinations keen to attract more flights.
Auckland airport chairman Tony Frankman said yesterday the deal opened up new
opportunities to use Cairns as a stepping stone between New Zealand and Asia.
"While our primary focus remains direct Asian connections with Auckland, an
important stepping stone is to strengthen our connection with other
strategically located airports," Frankman said.
(12 January 2010)


Liddell to Detroit
General Motors, #4 on the Fortune 500 and now US-government-owned following a 30
year decline, has named Chris Liddell as Chief Financial Officer at possibly the
most critical time in the company’s history following its recent bankruptcy
and restructuring. Liddell recently announced his resignation as CFO of
Microsoft, citing the desire for a bigger role. Matamata born and educated at Mt
Albert Grammar and Auckland and Oxford Universities, Liddell was CEO of Carter
Holt Harvey in New Zealand and CFO of International Paper in Connecticut. He is
a founder of the New Zealand Institute and recently awarded university
scholarships to former Mt Albert Grammar students. In his new role his first
challenges are reorganizing GM’s finance operations, repaying billions of
dollars of government debt, and potentially launching an initial public
offering.
(22 December 2009)


Welcoming business nous
New Zealand's migration policy has been relaxed in an effort to allow potential
investors and entrepreneurs to gain permanent residency. Currently the majority
of Brits hoping to live permanently in New Zealand must have a skill that is in
demand, such as a medical qualification. But the new investor policy, announced
in the summer, gives people with substantial capital the opportunity to emigrate
and boost the nation's evolving economy. Senior investment manager at Investment
New Zealand Catherine Tlapek said that the country offered a much more diverse
range of investment opportunities than people realised. "People can think
we're just an agricultural shop, but we're much more than that. We have a strong
ICT [information and communications technology] industry, a strong multi-media
industry," Tlapek said. Although New Zealand is in itself a small country,
Tlapek pointed out that it enjoys free trade agreements with Australia,
Singapore and China. "We are a gateway to Asia," she said.
(9 November 2009)


Cheap shots for seats
Air New Zealand recently used social-networking site Twitter to seek opinion on
a new Grab-a-seat campaign, which featured six advertisements poking fun at six
local destinations. The 9000 followers of Grab-a-seat were asked to "tell
us what you think of these new ads." Grab-a-seat is a website that offers
heavily discounted airfares for those quick enough to snaffle the available
seats up when they appear online. Adweek blogger David Griner said of the
posting: "So, you've made some travel ads that blatantly mock the
destinations you're promoting, and possibly Christianity as well. How do you
know if you've crossed the line? Why, just ask Twitter! It's a commendable way
to get easy input on ads before they launch more broadly, but I'm a bit
surprised Air New Zealand would be ones for caution, seeing as how their flight
crews are frequently naked and slathered in paint."
(2 September 2009)


Sidhe's smashing game
Wellington-based game production studio Sidhe Interactive has launched its
self-published title Shatter onto the Playstation Network, a game which
combines classic brick-breaking with the latest effects and a fully scored
soundtrack by Wellington multi-instrumentalist Jeremiah Ross aka Module.
Colorado news site examiner.com reviews the game and says that Shatter is
a "must buy". "Older generations of brick and paddle gamers will
enjoy Shatter along with casual gamers. Innovative ball manipulation and
boss stages presents a new depth to a once un-dimensional genre." Sidhe
Interactive has also worked on games such as Speed Racer (Wii/PS2), Melbourne
Cup Challenge (PS2/Xbox/PC) and King Arthur (PS2/Xbox) amongst
others.
(28 July 2009)


Extolling winged virtues
A New Zealand manufactured turbine-powered bush plane, the P750 XSTOL is being
promoted in Alaska by a Californian dealer who says the aircraft rivals the
traditional Cessna turbine aircraft for travel in the American state. Ray
Ferrell, a demonstration pilot with Utility Aircraft USA, which is the
distributor for Hamilton-based Pacific Aerospace Ltd., said the XSTOL would work
well on rural Alaska's short runways, and it has the capacity of carry heavy
loads. The aircraft is a basic nine-place, low-wing, single turbine plane
powered by a Pratt & Whitney PT6. It can haul a combined 4,428 pounds of
cargo and passengers, and is designed as an alternative to the Cessna Caravan.
Local pilot Lars Gleitsman flew the XSTOL and said the visibility from the
cockpit was excellent. "It is much like a helicopter canopy below your
legs, which gives the pilot good view of the ground, even at high angles of
attack," Gleitsman said. "And it is much more roomy than the Cessna
208 cockpit."
(17 July 2009)


Investing in New Zealand
A number of New Zealand companies are seeking alliances with the Silicon
Valley's tech investors and entrepreneurs in an effort to grow and extend their
reach into world markets. "Everyone realises the best thinking around
technology and the smartest capital exists in the Valley," said Brad Jones,
North American team leader for Investment New Zealand, the country's national
investment promotion strategy, who matches high-growth New Zealand businesses to
international investors. Since 2008, U.S. venture firms have invested about $20
million in New Zealand companies. "I think with our efforts, we're gaining
enough critical mass where you're going to be seeing a lot more of us
here," said Calvin Cheong, investment manager for Investment New
Zealand.
(5 June 2009)


Hell has no borders
New Zealand fastfood chain Hell Pizza will open 30 franchises throughout Ireland
by 2016. The first Hell's Pizza was launched in Dublin earlier this year, which
made Ireland the fifth country to open a location of the hell themed pizza
restaurant chain. Hell Pizza was founded in New Zealand in 1996 and quickly
gained a cult following. The brand is known for its edgy, irreverent brand and
marketing activity, including an online promotion that offered a free pizza to
those willing to 'Sell their Soul'. The company continues its Hell theme on its
menu, where its freshly made gourmet pizzas are named after the seven deadly
sins. Hell Pizza worldwide is owned by Warren Powell, Callum Davies and Stu
McMullin. There are currently 64 stores nationwide in New Zealand.
(July 2009)


Oaks from iPods
New Zealanders John and Sarah Lewis, directors of London-based company AcornHQ,
are encouraging iPhone and iPod owners to offset carbon emissions associated
with the devices by making a small donation to an oak tree planting scheme. The
company asks for $US3.50 per device to plant a tree to counteract the effects on
the environment from manufacture and use. For every 20 donations, a tree is
planted. "We are from New Zealand which is the main reason we chose to
plant trees there, forming a partnership with the North Canterbury Blockhill
carbon sink project," John Lewis says. Users can offset their iPods by
joining one of AcornHQ's trees. The AcornHQ website also offers other
suggestions at lessening the impact of iPods on the environment including
recycling and keeping hold of your iPod for longer.
(23 June 2009)


Whiteware deal
Fisher & Paykel has signed a US$50 million deal with Chinese appliance maker
Haier, which will see the Qingdao-based manufacturer take a 20 per cent stake in
the New Zealand company. Haier has signed a cooperation agreement covering areas
such as sales, manufacturing and joint business development, to transform itself
from a producer best known for low prices into a supplier of higher,
premium-priced technology. Haier is the world's fourth largest home appliance
manufacturer and employs more than 50,000 globally. Fisher & Paykel is based
in East Tamaki. Fisher & Paykel Industries Ltd was founded in 1934 by Sir
Woolf Fisher and Maurice Paykel.
(26 May 2009)

Webby award success
Wellington-based online accounting software provider Xero and Auckland-based
mobile advertising agency The Hyperfactory won eight awards at the 13th Annual
Webby Awards in New York. The Hyperfactory dominated the mobile advertising
category with six awards in total, and second overall in the race for
Interactive Agency of Year given to the most successful agency across all Webby
categories of interactive advertising, websites, mobile sites, and online film
and video. The Hyperfactory won Best Mobile campaign jointly with Saatchi &
Saatchi Sydney. It also won People's Choice award in the same category for a
Guinness ad. Online accounting software provider Xero won two Webbys for its
software and website in the banking/bill paying category. Head of design at
Xero Philip
Fierlinger said: "Winning two Webbys is overwhelming. Reading all the
comments people wrote is really humbling. We had a vision to make accounting
sexy and fun, but to actually hear people say those words about Xero is
incredibly gratifying." Fierlinger will attend the award ceremony in New
York on June 8.
(May 2009)


Sailing into the US
New Zealand global procurement company Unimarket is in the process of finalising
a move to Annapolis, Maryland in the United States, where it plans to hire 100
new employees by 2011. Founder and chief executive officer Scott Blackwood
explains how his company's technology helps the education sector while Unimarket
president Kurt Black runs the program from a laptop. Blackwood says the company
has moved after successfully piloting its software in Auckland. The company's
software aims to create supply-chain efficiencies for the education sector.
Blackwood built a company with software that is reminiscent of Amazon.com: It
eliminates the need for universities and schools to hire an in-house staff to
maintain supplier product and pricing information. The traditional model for
e-procurement software requires businesses and universities to purchase software
licenses and hardware and then hire a staff to support it. Unimarket also has
offices in Melbourne.
(7 April 2009)


Reigniting the value of wool
As Chair of Wool Partners International,
Theresa Gattung is at the forefront
of a campaign to reignite the value of one of New Zealand's oldest export
commodities on the world stage. Gattung sees an opportunity "to get back in
the driver's seat and position New Zealand wool as premium brand on the world
stage. Our wool is widely recognised as the best in the world but we don't do
enough to market it and believe it or not, we even sell at much lower prices
than our customers are prepared to pay". Gattung is focused on developing
opportunities in the US and European markets and believes in "an industry
that's worth $1billion in export earnings with the potential to be worth twice
that in five years". Central to the challenge is repositioning the New
Zealand wool brand as a premium, sustainable choice for international consumers.
"We are fortunate to be at a moment in time when green and luxury can go
together. This was not always the case, but it is now and wool is the perfect
product to bring together the Gucci and the Hippie."
(8 April 2009)


Scaling nature
New Zealander Paul McCathie is a former arborist who in 2005
founded Goodleaf Tree Climbing Adventures on the Isle Of Wight. McCathie
"works with only one tree, a 60ft ancient oak, and in two and a half hours
teaches people how to use harnesses, karabiners, ropes and knots, as well as
climbing and abseiling." He started climbing trees after completing a tree
surgery course in New Zealand, and his hardest day on the job ended up being one
of his best. "I was working with a family whose son had severe learning
difficulties. He spent the first hour hiding under our picnic blanket. I led his
family members up the tree, and slowly he peered out. Finally he donned his
helmet and harness and lifted himself up into the canopy. He loved it in the
end." McCathie's five-year plan is to "ideally run Goodleaf on the
Isle of Wight in summer, and head south to run Goodleaf New Zealand during the
'winter' months."
(8 March 2009)


Hot pasties on demand
Gisborne butcher Heath Raggett, 39, owns a shop on Bow Street, near Aberystwyth
in Wales where he sells lamb reared on the hills above Cardigan Bay, encouraging
locals to eat locally-produced meats. Raggett has been called a "shining
example of the sentiments behind the Farmer's Union of Wales' 'Help Cut Food
Miles - Buy The Welsh One campaign'. Raggett opened the butchery in 2006.
"My idea was to keep the shop as it already was and I also wanted to make
it as Welsh as possible. My partner Rhiain is a Welsh speaker and together we
have made sure we retain the Welshness of the business," Raggett said.
Farmers' Union of Wales president Gareth Vaughan said: "In his own way he
is a true ambassador for Welsh farming and we admire him for that - even though
he's an All Blacks supporter."
(13 January 2009)


Dining with the birds
For one month from 9 January until February 2009, in a redwood plantation north
of Auckland, between Puhoi and Warkworth, and 10m up a tree, the Yellow
House restaurant will serve three-course meals for $195 a head. Diners will
approach the onion-shaped treehouse along a 60m elevated walkway, while the food
takes another route — the kitchens are at ground level, so the chefs will send
it up on a winch. The restaurant was created in 66 days as part of a marketing
project for the Yellow Pages. "They're a bit vague about what'll be on the
menu," writes the Times, "but we're hoping for bird's-nest
soup."
(21 December 2008)


Car of the century
Gibbs Technologies founder and CTO New Zealander Alan Gibbs, 70, is profiled on Michigan Live.com where the entrepreneur discusses the never-seen-before capabilities of his three-seat sportscar Aquada, production of the Quadski and his partnership with businessman Briton Neil Jenkins who is chairman and CEO of Gibbs Technologies. “There’s just millions of places people will find the cars useful, as well as fun,” Gibbs says about the company’s High Speed Amphibious vehicles. Gibbs officials said the U.S. military is clamouring for the company to begin production of the military vehicle that will use its amphibious technology. “We really can’t work fast enough to meet that interest,” said Jenkins. Having recently opened the company’s headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, Gibbs is enjoying creating a vehicle he believes could change the automotive landscape. Since 1999 he has been resident in the United Kingdom and lives in London on the Thames.
(6 December 2008)


In the hot-seat
New Zealander Geoff Vuleta, co-founder and chief executive of New York-based
innovation consultancy company Fahrenheit 212, commutes between the US city, and
home to Auckland every 8 weeks. Vuleta discusses his frequent-flyer lifestyle,
and long-haul travel mayhem, in The New York Times. "I do try and
roll with whatever comes my way. But sometimes my brain morphs into mush from
all the travel," he says. Vuleta began a 20 year career in advertising at
Ogilvy & Mather in New Zealand. Before opening Fahrenheit 212 in 2002, he
was CEO of New Zealand's leading advertising company Saatchi & Saatchi.
Fahrenheit 212 undertakes assignments for companies including The Coca Cola
Company, Warner Music Group, The Hershey Company, Procter & Gamble, Gucci
Group, Diageo, and Samsung.
(27 October 2008)


For the animals
Since 2005, Auckland-born Briar Simpson has worked in Japan for the Tokyo branch
of non-profit organisation Animal
Refuge Kansai, where she finds homes for animals and coordinates fundraising
and educational programmes for children. A resident of Japan for 16 years,
Simpson has been directly or indirectly involved in helping find homes for some
120 animals. "It's the single most stressful job I've ever had. It's also
the best job," Simpson says. After receiving a business degree in finance
in New Zealand, she came to Japan and completed her Masters in international
trade at Waseda University. Wanting to volunteer at a shelter, she heard of ARK,
contacted them and was offered a job at its then new Tokyo branch.
(11 October 2008)


Defender of the skies
Air New Zealand is aiming to be the cleanest airline on the planet, recently
making headlines with fuel-saving and environmentally conscious initiatives
including demonstrating a new way of flying an airplane and testing the use of
jatropha as a source of jet fuel. The innovative moves, which are being closely
watched by the aviation industry, have put the airline at the forefront of
finding new ways of cutting back on fuel use and harmful carbon emissions. At
home last year, the airline hired the former executive director of New Zealand's
branch of Greenpeace International, to coordinate the company's various in-house
efforts to reduce energy use by 5 per cent every year. They include company
bicycles that employees can use to commute to work or to do errands during lunch
breaks. "We grew up thinking [New Zealand] is one of the greatest places on
Earth, and we want do our part to preserve it," said Mike Tod, the
airline's spokesman. The airline is also a favourite of
Hollywood celebrities who travel from LAX to London — a little-known route Air
New Zealand has tried to keep quiet as a way to shield its high-profile
passengers from prying photographers and fanatic fans.
(10 October 2008)


In sheep code
New Zealand clothing label Icebreaker is enabling its customers to trace their
purchased merino garment back to one of the 120 sheep stations where the fibre
was grown by entering the individual 'Baacode' number found on each item's label
onto the Icebreaker site. Through photos and video, customers can see the living
conditions of the particular animals that produced their wool, meet the high
country farmers who run the sheep stations, and follow the production process to
the factories that knit, dye, finish, cut, manufacture and ship the garments.
"For us, sustainability is about transparency and being able to show the
whole design of the business, which starts with the growers and continues
through every step of the supply chain," explains Jeremy Moon, Icebreaker's
founder and CEO.
(10 September 2008)


Cocktails after Angkor
Former Radio New Zealand reporter Dean Williams has turned his talents to the
world of hospitality in Cambodia's popular tourist destination, Siem Reap.
According to The Phnom Penh Post: "In September, Williams will open
Miss Wong, a Shanghai-themed cocktail lounge, having signed a take-over lease
for the Blue Chilli Too bar in a hip and happening alleyway behind the town's
'Pub Street'." In 2007, Williams produced an environmental programme for
RNZ called 'Our Changing World'. He won a 2004 Qantas Media Award in the radio
category for 'The Ethics of Pest Trapping'.
(21 August 2008)


Digging up the sandpit
Former Dunedin musterer Ed Mumm moved to Steamboat Springs, Colorado and in
November 2007 opened the first earthmoving sandpit in the United States, Dig
This, where enthusiasts pay top dollar to operate heavy machinery in a 4ha
supervised environment. Denver Post reporter Dan Leeth takes a
"half-day of recess to sample the big boys' toys" - Caterpillars which
can dig trenches and move boulders. "And it isn't just the Y-chromosome
crowd that takes a shining to digging dirt. As is typical, half of the day's
participants are women," Leeth writes. Mumm
had the big idea sitting in a bulldozer shifting tonnes of dirt and rocks around
his Colorado spread. "Putting in this pipeline to a well it occurred to me
if I was having this much of a good time, imagine what people who don't have the
opportunity to this kind of thing would think," Mumm said.
(8 August 2008)


At the helm of Harrod's
Former Wellington business man James McArthur, 48, has been appointed chief
executive officer and Group chief of Harrod's, reporting to chairman Mohamed Al
Fayed. A 12-year Gucci Group veteran, McArthur was most recently president and
CEO of Balenciaga. In his new position—a newly-created role—McArthur will
oversee the Knightsbridge department store, as well as the real estate,
aviation, and airport terminal retail outlets. Speaking from London, McArthur
said he had "the best job in the world". "Harrods is the most
extraordinary place. It's special in the hearts of everyone around the world.
What other single store is known around the globe?" Al Fayed said of
McArthur's appointment that "James will bring a complementary set of
strategic and leadership skills to our overall group of businesses that will
help us to strengthen and propel the evolution of the organisation and its
subsidiaries." McArthur graduated from Victoria University in Wellington
with first class honours and completed his MBA at Harvard in 1987.
(9 April 2008)


Running on jatropha
Air New Zealand and Boeing plan a three-hour test-flight at the end of the year
using fuel produced from jatropha, a poisonous tree which grows seeds rich in
oil. The airline expects to use biofuels for 10 per cent of its fuel consumption
by 2013 - one million barrels a year. The flight could mark one of the more
promising - and more unusual - steps by the financially strapped airline
industry to find cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternatives to
fossil fuel. Air New Zealand's general manager for airline operations David
Morgan is confident in the test results. "It'll be a real milestone not
only for Air New Zealand but for aviation," Morgan said.
(6 June 2008)


Economic hardware
In 1949, New Zealand engineer and economist Professor William "Bill"
Phillips astonished the London School of Economics revealing his
"do-it-yourself" creation: an analogue computer model of the workings
of the British economy. The Monetary National Income Automatic Computer or
MONIAC prototype was an odd assortment of tanks, pipes, sluices and valves, with
water pumped around the machine by a motor cannibalised from the windscreen
wiper of a Lancaster bomber. Visiting fellow at the National Institute for
Economic and Social Research Professor Brian Henry says the machine is far more
than a museum piece. "Phillips was a brilliant guy. He came up with
interesting ways of providing practical advice on policy." Phillips was
born to Albanian immigrants on a farm in New Zealand in 1914. He died in
Auckland, in 1975.
(8 May 2008)

Feasts in factories
New Zealander Margot Henderson, sought-after London gourmand and the other half
of Arnold & Henderson catering, does not like to use the word 'simple' when
describing their menus. "It's more like it has a sense of place," she
says. At a recent Parisian soirée in a metal factory, 240 guests, including the
French prime minister, sat down at long banquet tables while the cooks worked
out of a makeshift kitchen. Dishes were served family-style from large bowls and
platters; the entrée, veal shin on the bone, arrived with a knife sticking out
of it. Arnold & Henderson has an impressive client list including
Balenciaga, Marc Jacobs and Mulberry. Melanie Arnold and Margot Henderson began
the catering business in 1995 when they worked together at London's The French
House Dining Room in Soho. They now run restaurant, Rochelle Canteen in
Shoreditch.
(23 March 2008)


To India without nails
New Zealand's prefabricated Lockwood Homes are taking on the luxury housing
market in India. MacDonald Sarin, a realty asset management company in Gurgaon,
said because of the speed of construction people can enjoy their dream homes
sooner. "Initially we will cater to the high end segment, designing it
specifically for farm houses and second homes. But in future we will expand this
concept to the middle housing segment," the company said. The Indian
expansion comes just as Lockwood launches its new range of EcoSmart homes in New
Zealand. The Lockwood house was invented in 1951 by Jo La Grouw Snr and Johannes
(Jan) van Loghem, based on the log-cabin technique of interlocking timber
walls.
(26 March 2008)


New exec at Opera House
Sydney's most famous landmark is now presided over by New Zealander Richard
Evans, who last month became chief executive at the Opera House. Among the
challenges Evans will face, is raising some NZ$790 million for the ongoing
renovation of the Sydney Opera House complex. Evans told The Dominion Post:
"There is no question that it must be one of the more difficult jobs there
is, but unless it was, I wouldn't want to do it." Chairman of the Sydney
Opera House Trust Kim Williams said Evans has the right attributes for the role.
"Richard has a strong entrepreneurial outlook with a good sense of humour
... qualities which are essential to managing an enterprise like the Sydney
Opera House," Williams said. Evans was previously chief executive of the
Australian Ballet.
(16 February 2008)

NZ director airs at Super Bowl
In just 30 seconds, Wellington ad director Paul Middleditch made his mark at
this year's Super Bowl. Sydney-based Middleditch created the NZ$3.4 million
one-off slot for Diet Pepsi Max, at his sixth Super Bowl. When Middleditch -
whose work includes the New Zealand ASB Goldstein ads - began directing spots
and music videos in 1990, he was one of the only young directors working in New
Zealand advertising. Now very much sought-after, Middleditch told
The Dominion
Post he does a lot of comedy work in the United States. "In America when
you do comedy it becomes more high-profile and people ask you to do more work
like that. So I've been lucky like that."
(20 February 2008)


Tees please
An NZ couple has launched a line of tasteful tourist tees in Canada. Last
year, Lauren McKee and Wynne Pirini left home, and their respective careers in
accountancy and construction, to start a creative business in Vancouver.
"There are a couple of lines in New Zealand that do that pretty well,"
says Pirini. "They're iconic, and give you a sense of closeness to home.
They have a twist in the image you can't get from standard souvenir T-shirts.
And we noticed there was nothing quite like that here, which was quite
surprising." The couple's business - Ningnong
- sells high-quality fitted tees with graphic images of Vancouver and its
surrounds. "The graphics represent local landmarks," says stockist
Graham Ling, "but they don't have that local, tourist-y kind of feel."
McKee and Pirini eventually hope to extend their business to include tees
inspired by other Canadian cities.
(17 November 2007)


Chairman of the Internet
NZ lawyer Peter Dengate Thrush has been named chairman of the Internet’s chief
governing body. Dengate Thrush will head the LA-based Internet Corporation for
Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which is viewed as the online version of the
United Nations. ICANN oversees global projects including the allocation of
domain names and IP addresses (upgrading the number of available addresses to
4-quintillion over ten years), internet policy development and the improvement
of internet access for developing nations with the help of projects like “One
Laptop Per Child”. In the past 10 years internet users have increased 20-fold
to 1.2 billion people and computer servers have increased from 22.5 million to
489 million. Dengate Thrush, an intellectual property expert and former chairman
of internetNZ, replaces Internet pioneer Vint Cerf in the role.
(3 November 2007)


Game on
Wellington-based Sidhe Interactive is the creative brains behind Jackass:
The Game, released in the US by Red Mile Entertainment and MTV Games on
September 26. The company hopes it will sell over a million copies, which is the
benchmark for success in the highly competitive gaming industry. NZ's largest
games developer, Sidhe Interactive recently won a multimillion-dollar deal to
create a game based on the upcoming US film Speed Racer for Nintendo Wii and
PlayStation 2. "It is a perfect combination to be coming off Jackass and
rolling on to that," says Sidhe spokesman Jos Ruffell. "We have gone
from playing in the Australasian market to competing at the absolute top level
in the US market."
(1 October 2007)


Power producers
Queenstown-born film producer Tim Bevan (right) features in Vanity Fair's
annual 'New Establishment' power rankings, along with business partner Eric
Fellner. Bevan
and Fellner founded British film powerhouse Working
Title in 1984. Their company has produced nearly every hit British film
since the late 1980s, from Four Weddings and a Funeral and Elizabeth,
to Love Actually and Shaun of the Dead. Bevan and Fellner are
ranked 75th on the 100-strong list, which is topped this year by Rupert Murdoch
(News Corporation), Steve Jobs (Apple, Disney, Pixar), and Sergey Brin and Larry
Page (Google).
(October 2007)


Designing women
New Zealand Herald writer Fiona Hawtin reports on the unique nature
of the NZ fashion scene for the International Herald Tribune. "Of
the 45 labels showing at the seventh New Zealand Fashion Week ... 39 of them are
designed by women and almost all are owner/operator businesses," she
writes, noting the stark contrast with the traditionally male-dominated fashion
industries in Europe and the US. High-profile examples of this trend include
Karen Walker, Kate Sylvester, Elisabeth Findlay (Zambesi), Helen Cherry and
Trelise Cooper. "Boundaries don't exist so much for women [in NZ]. We can
excel in the arts as much in business sectors," said Wellington designer
Alexandra Owen who, together with Chelsea Thorpe and Kirsha Whitcher, is part of
a new generation of NZ women running their own fashion labels.
(12 September 2007)


Tributes flow for industry titans
NZ has lost two of its leading business figures with the deaths
of Sir James Fletcher and Nick Nobilo (pictured) on August 29. Fletcher, 92, became
Managing Director of construction dynasty Fletcher Holdings in 1942. He was
knighted for services to industry and the community in 1980. "We don't have
enough industrialists or business people that we can look up to. He is one we
can revere," said Fletcher family friend John
Hart. Nikola 'Nick' Nobilo, 94, founded the Nobilo Wines empire in 1943
after emigrating to NZ from Croatia six years earlier. Nobilo helped steer the
NZ wine industry away from hybrid grape varieties and fortified wines to a
higher level of quality wines made from classic grape varietals. "You can't
talk about where New Zealand wine has got to in the world today - and it is
absolutely impressive - without taking into account the contribution of the
Nobilo family," said Terry
Dunleavy, editor of NZ Winegrower.
(30 August 2007)


Something to Crowe about
Russell Crowe is gradually proving the naysayers wrong as co-owner of the South
Sydney 'Rabbitohs' rugby league club. Crowe and businessman Peter Holmes a Court
took over and privatised the beleaguered club in 2006, sparking numerous
protests from fans and league officials. "What we're doing has never been
done before," said Holmes a Court in the Sydney Morning Herald.
"I still don't know if we're going to be successful. I know this is a crazy
thing to do. It doesn't stack up on any of the numbers my accountant will agree
to as a business deal. But I know this club would not have survived." The SMH
is impressed with the pair's efforts so far: "As anyone at the club who was
there for a nanosecond of the dark days will attest, their influence has been
remarkable."
(30 July 2007)


Tech blogger's global reach
Lower Hutt is home to the world's 28th most popular blog. Richard MacManus's Read/Write
Web, a social networking site devoted to Web 2.0 issues, receives around
25,000 page views a day. "It takes a lot of time to ramp a blog up,"
said MacManus in an
interview with Wellington's Dominion Post. "If you genuinely have an
interest and passion about the topic it will show through and eventually it
might become a revenue stream for you." MacManus recently commented on
Australian PM John Howard's ill-fated YouTube campaign for The Age:
"You have to try to create more of a personal message than the usual stuff
that you find on TV adverts, and the message has to be genuine, straightforward,
and down to earth - and it mustn't look too fake or as if you are trying too
hard."
(8 July 2007)


Health, wealth and honey
A NZ health company has teamed up with a German university to promote the use of
manuka honey products to heal wounds, treat stomach and skin problems and,
potentially, to help in the fight against cancer. Researchers at the Technical
University of Dresden have discovered the compound responsible for manuka
honey's anti-bacterial properties (methylglyoxal) and have enlisted the help of
Te Awamutu-based Manuka
Health New Zealand Ltd to measure and certify the levels of the compound in
its own products and those of rival companies. "We have known for some time
that manuka honey has this property," said Manuka Health chief executive
Kerry Paul. "The term Unique Manuka Factor is used to describe this honey's
consistently reliable anti-bacterial effect and UMF has been trademarked by the
Active Manuka Honey Association. But we haven't known until the German discovery
what the compound is that is responsible." Manuka Health expects to
dramatically increase its current annual turnover of NZ$5 million as a result of
its new partnership.
(6 July 2007)


Lions share
NZ
agencies won 18 awards at this year's Cannes Lions, the world's most
prestigious advertising awards. Auckland agency TBWA\Whybin won the Grand Prix
award in both the Media and Promo categories for its ASB "Pago" and NZ
Rugby Union "Bonded by Blood" (pictured) campaigns, respectively.
Other winners included Clemenger BBDO for a campaign for the World Press Photo
Exhibition, Ogilvy for an email invitation campaign for Soul Bar and DraftFCB
for an illustrated print campaign for Little Boys sausages. DraftFCB also won
three Silver Lions in the Radio category, which is not traditionally a strong
area for NZ advertising. The 2007 Cannes Lions were attended by more than 11,000
people. Over 25,000 entries were received from 80 countries.
(20 June 2007)


Brand passion paramount
Sean Fitzpatrick and the All Blacks are held up as inspiring examples for
business leaders by American finance blogger, Jim Citrin: "No other sports
franchise in the world has achieved a 72 percent winning percentage over as long
a period. It's amazing that a nation of just 4 million ... can produce the
greatest team in the history of any sport." In high demand as a
motivational speaker in the US and Europe, Fitzpatrick is an eloquent promoter
of team-play and emotional connection in business. "With the All Blacks, a
passion for the brand is paramount," he says. "When a team member puts
on the All Blacks jersey, he knows that he can win, that he must win. Winning as
an All Black is not about the individual, or even about today's team. Each
player feels part of an unbroken tradition going back over a
century."
(6 June 2007)


Fletcher nets Formica
NZ manufacturing company Fletcher
Building has bought the iconic Formica Corporation for US $700 million.
Fletcher Building already owned the rights to Formica products in Australia and
NZ - chief executive Jonathan Ling said the latest acquisition would help create
"a truly global laminates platform." Formica Corporation, maker of the
famous eponymous laminate as well as other surfacing products, was rescued from
bankruptcy by two private equity firms in 2004. The company was founded in the
United States by engineers Daniel O'Conor and Herbert Faber in 1913.
(24 May 2007)


Winning streak for 42 Below ads
42 Below Vodka's US advertising campaign won Saatchi & Saatchi New York
seven statues at this year's Clio Awards, including the Grand Clio in the print
section. The slew of awards saw Saatchi & Saatchi New York named agency of
the year and Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide, headed by nzedge co-founder Kevin
Roberts, awarded network of the year. In addition, the agency's worldwide
creative director, Australian Bob Isherwood, was honoured with the 2007 lifetime
achievement award. The Clio Awards for advertising and design are one of the
largest and most respected events in their field. They take place annually in
Miami Beach, Florida.
(May 2007)


NZ a modern treasure hunter's dream
NZ features in a "21st
century treasure map" for entrepreneurial Americans, published by Inc.
magazine. The interactive
online map is a guide for American business owners looking for international
opportunities. The NZ economy is described as one of the world's least regulated
and most entrepreneurial, with one of the highest rates of business ownership
per capita. Inc. ranks it alongside Hong Kong, Sweden and Irealand as one of the
best places in the world to set up shop.
(April 2007)


A wallflower no longer
Auckland digital
signage company Wallflower Global
has been purchased by Thailand's Global Satellite Broadcasting Corporation
(GSBC) for US $20 million. Since its inception four years ago, Wallflower has
become the preferred digital signage specialist for international companies
including Vodafone, Telstra, Sky City and Mazda. "We are thrilled to
acquire the business not just because of its dynamic user friendly technology
but also Wallflower has a huge footprint in Australia and NZ," said GSBC
founder Ronald Flynn. "The people at Wallflower are terrific and
[Wallflower Global CEO] Tony Scott will be staying on board as the CTO and
President for the newly named GSBC Wallflower."
(2 February 2007)


Icebreakers Canadian connection
Nova Scotias Chronicle Herald reveals a NZ business success storys Canadian
connection. Jeremy Moons outdoor clothing company Icebreaker enjoys CA$100
million in annual retail sales, largely thanks to its revolutionary merino wool
thermal underwear. Icebreaker and a group of NZ farmers recently signed the
largest merino wool contract in the world: $30 million for the period 2006-8.
Moon reportedly found the inspiration for his business in 1993, at the remote
Pohuenui Station in Pelorus Sound. Owned by Brian Brakenridge and his Canadian
sheep shearing champion wife Fiona Nettleton, Pohenui Station ran a flock of
3000 merino sheep. Chronicle Herald: In a moment of visionary pride, Brakenridge
showed entrepreneur Jeremy Moon his merino wool underwear ... Moon was so
impressed that he mortgaged his house, bought half of Brakenridges business,
began manufacturing merino wool long johns and persuaded a NZ explorer to wear
the same pair for the entire 43-day Jules Verne Challenge.
(10 January 2007)


Boiling Point
US BusinessWeek profiles “white-hot” New York-based company Fahrenheit
212’s fresh take on innovation for global consumer product companies. Named
after the point at which water boils (“when one degree of difference can make
all the difference”), Fahrenheit 212 was spawned by global ideas company
Saatchi & Saatchi, with F212 CEO Geoff Vuleta and President Mark Payne
leading a recent management buyout. Vuleta, former MD of SaatchiNZ, created F212
in Auckland before establishing the company in New York. Fahrenheit’s goal is
to create new products from existing assets that will earn sizeable revenue from
untapped markets. The hybrid management consultancy, agency and design house
dives head-first into its clients’ product opportunities and gaps to research,
prototype and bring to ready-to-go solutions to market. Fahrenheit 212’s
clients include spirits giant Diageo (for whom it developed the Smirnoff Raw Tea
range), Samsung, P&G, Hershey, UBS and NBC Universal. Says NBC’s Beth
Comstock, “We need people who can take us to where we can’t see yet.”
(15 January 2007)


Silver lining for OpenCloud
Wellington telecommunications support firm OpenCloud has raised US$10.25
million in funding from Advent Venture Partners (London), No 8 Ventures (NZ) and
Motorola Ventures (US). The funding will be used to expand the company's
international interests, which include a new headquarters in Cambridge,
Scotland, and increased sales, marketing, delivery and product development in
Europe, America and the Asia Pacific. "We are building up the [Cambridge]
infrastructure," says company director and chief executive Stephen Newton.
"By the end of the next two to three months we will be 10 to 12 people at
the Cambridge site." OpenCloud, which specialises in the supply of next
generation application servers to the telecoms industry, played a pioneering
role in the development of the cutting-edge JAIN SLEE platform.
(10 January 2007)


Top shelf
NZ's 42 Below vodka has been named Cocktail Spirit of the Year for the second
time in a row at the 2006 Australian Liquor Industry Awards (ALIA) in Sydney.
"42 Below has made a large impact in the Australian market in a short
time," says the brand's Australian Country Manager Craig Schweighoffer.
"Over the last two years we have seen the brand establish itself as one of
the most recognised spirits in the country, its reputation securing a solid
appreciation among Australian bartenders and consumers alike." Known as the
Oscars of the liquor industry, the ALIAs took place at the Darling Harbour
Convention Centre on 2 November.
(3 November 2006)


Wairewa Station on the ball
South Canterbury sheep farmers Philip and Anne Munro won a lucrative US contract
to supply wool for the tennis balls used at the US Open. The couple hosted
American tennis ball producers Tex Tech and Wilson's at Wairewa Station last
year, impressing them enough to secure a year-long order of 280 bales per month.
The Munro's wool was set aside for the sole purpose of producing US Open tennis
balls, which will be branded with Wairewa Station's logo. "It's quite a
buzz for us that this has happened, said Philip Munro in the NZ Herald.
"The whole situation is quite surreal, it has to be taken as quite
significant, not only for ourselves, but also for the NZ wool industry."
Held in New York, the US Open is the highest-attended annual sporting event in
the world.
(9 August 2006)


Global roaming
Auckland-based company RoamAD has secured
another major
international contract, providing a high-speed wireless network to the
Italian university city of Bologna. The free wi-fi network is the first to be
deployed in the historic centre of a major Italian city. RoamAD has already
established metro-wide wi-fi networks in Auckland and Perth, and plans to
connect Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide in the near future.
(8 June 2006)


Buy-now price $700 million
John Fairfax Holdings has bought New Zealand internet auction site Trade Me for $700
million. What started as one young Wellingtonian looking to buy a
second-hand heater to warm his drafty Mount Victoria flat in 1999, has expanded
exponentially to become the most visited website in New Zealand with 1.2 million
registered users and one of the most successful edge enterprises in years. Trade
Me will continue to operate as a stand alone business, with founder and Chief
Executive Sam Morgan continuing to run the company with a board of Trade Me and
Fairfax executives.


Dubai calling
Two New Zealanders are at the forefront of a massive property boom currently happening
in Dubai. The United Arab Emirates is spending £140 billion to transform
the city into an ultra-modern capitalist powerhouse, the business and leisure
hub of the Middle East. Bruce Munro's BRM Construction Dubai has produced high
rise lift shafts for 65 Dubai projects to date, and now wins 95% of its tenders.
Civil engineer Greg Sang is overseeing the $2 billion construction of what will
be the world's tallest building for Emaar Properties. "I think my last job
was with the Takapuna City Council," he remarked to TVNZ. "I was doing
water mains."
(21 May 2006)


Mongolian musings
Auckland born investment banker, John O'Loghlen, muses on Mongolia in the nicely
titled Feeding a Dragon: Mongolia's Position within a Rising Asia.
Observations on the Land of Eternal Blue Sky for the Land of the Long White
Cloud. In 2004 O'Loghlen spent ten days in Mongolia participating in the annual
Sunrise
to Sunset marathon, an event which sparked his ongoing interest with the
country's history and future. Feeding the Dragon notes similarities
between Aotearoa and Mongolia - "the world's two most beautiful patches of
grass" - and ponders Mongolia's ability to ride the Asian financial wave
currently headed by neighbouring China. Read the full article
here.
(August 2005)


Bullionaire business opportunity
A Massey University graduate may soon be striking agricultural pay-dirt after founding the
world's first gold-farming company, Tiaki International. Chris Anderson spent 8
years at Massey developing a chemical process which causes plants to
"hyperaccumulate" gold particles from the soil. When crops such as
canola, corn or mustard are planted on former gold-mining land they soak up the
precious substance and store it in their roots and leaves. Tiaki is now
promoting its services in China and Brazil as a means of simultaneously
re-greening former mine sites and creating a lucrative offshoot to sell on the
open market.
(1 October 2005)

Phoenix rising
NY Times feature on the
burgeoning international alternatives to Coca Cola mentions NZ-brewed delight,
Phoenix Cola.
“This organic, caffeine-free drink from New Zealand is actually made from the
cola nut. Refined-sugar shunners can opt for the honey-sweetened version.”
(25 September 2005)



Chinese opportunity
Fonterra has made the biggest ever investment in the Chinese dairy industry by a
foreign company by purchasing a 43% stake in the Shijiazhuang San Lu Group for
US$107 million. The San Lu Group produces powdered milk, liquid milk and fresh
dairy products, and is predicting sales of US$925 million in China this year.
According to Fonterra chief executive Andrew Ferrier, the investment reflects
Fonterra's confidence in the future of the dairy industry in China, where dairy
consumption has doubled in the last five years.
(3 December 2005)


Milk and money
Fonterra has announced plans to build an AU$15 million dairy innovation centre
in Melbourne. "By investing significantly in innovation we are ensuring
that we remain at the forefront of developing specialty ingredients and consumer
products that will continue to grow the global dairy market," says Bob
Major, Fonterra's director of innovation. The centre is expected to be open for
business by April 2007.
(31 October 2005)


Liddell goes for growth
Microsoft’s money man from Matamata is seeking
to revive the company’s stock price with a story of significant growth based
on a raft of new product releases. Chris Liddell says that Wall St is “starting
to see some tangible evidence of some of the innovation and investment that's
gone on the last few years. The pipeline of product releases over the next 12 to
18 months is probably the highest it's ever been in the company's history.”
CFO Liddell stated in his presentation
to the Financial Analyst Meeting on 28 July that “we intend to continue to
drive growth, we intend to continue to maximize the cash flow that we can get
from our businesses, and we intend to continue to aggressively invest in our
future, all of which has a view to driving shareholder value. The performance of
this company has been outstanding over the last five years, but we believe
there's no reason why the next five years won't be even better.” Asked how he
was planning to mesh with the Microsoft culture, Liddell said “It’s pretty
simple really. Be extremely good at what I do.”
(August 15 2005)

Big Chief Fletcher
Christchurch man Ian Fletcher holds a key position in British government as
Director of the International Trade Development Group for the British High
Commission. Fletcher oversees the promotion of British business around the
world; a massive job considering that 25% of the British economy is generated
externally. In an interview with
NZ City
Fletcher says his NZ nationality coupled with his close personal ties to Britain
has helped him greatly in his new role, as he has “'looked through the telescope
from both ends.”
(15 September 2004)

Dynamic partnership
Christchurch based Nano Cluster Devices
Ltd (NCD) has secured a potentially lucrative partnership with American
organization and manufacturer, NanoDynamics. NanoDynamics is to take over
international sales duties for NCD’s groundbreaking technologies, which include
the self-assembly of nanowires in production of semiconductors and electronic
components.
(18 October 2004)


Gamble pays off
Business Review Weekly dubs
Matthew Slatter “Australia’s most admired new chief executive,” thanks to his
remarkable transformation of Tabcorp from “a Victorian-centric pokies and
wagering minnow to what will soon be the world's fourth-largest gambling
company.” The NZer took over the reins at Tabcorp in October 2002. Since then he
has consolidated Australia’s gaming industry by coordinating nearly $4 billion
worth of takeovers and mergers.
(19 August 2004)


Back from the brink and here to stay
The Herald profiles NZ’s master
business tactician, Burns Philip head Graeme Hart. “Were it not for Mr
Hart's charm and reputation for ego-free business dealings, it would be easy to
mistake that supreme confidence for arrogance. He is unshakeable in the belief
that he … will find another winner […] Mr Hart's definitely the guy who looked
like he was on his knees and then came back and stuck his fingers up in the air
at everyone.”
(9 August 2004)


Designs on Nike
NZ company Designer Textiles has won a contract with sports apparel
company Nike.
Nike has agreed to use
Designer Textiles' merino advanced performance program (MAPP) in manufacturing
its ACG range of outdoor sports shoes. The AGC range will carry an additional
MAPP tag detailing the NZ origins of it 100% pure merino wool. "Co-branding with
Nike is a great breakthrough," said Managing Director Mark Bilton. "It's small
but it's important for the credibility of the brand."
(1 July 2004)


Opus goes trans-Atlantic
NZ firm Opus International Consultants
has expanded its business in Canada with the purchase of Geoplan Consultants
Inc. Opus already has offices in the UK, Malaysia and Australia, and in 2002 won
the
Trade New
Zealand Services Exporter of the Year Award for boosting yearly exports from
$9.5 million in 1999 to $28.8 million in 2001. The company was the driving force
behind Auckland's recently launched Britomart Transport Centre, and is currently
working on the redesigning the London Underground's Piccadilly Line.
(27 January 2004)


Mad for merino
A trip to NZ “pulled the scratchy wool from [a Seattle Times writer’s]
eyes” with the discovery of Kiwi staple, merino. “This is not your grandfather's
wool, most of which could have doubled as a Brillo pad […] For successive
autumns now, I've snuggled up in the soft wool and uttered a prayer of thanks to
its donor animal — the lonely merino down on a South Island hillside…” The
same superfine 'technology' is behind the export success of the Icebreaker
(above) recreational clothing designs.
(2 October 2003)


Eric "Bueller" Watson
SMH charts the enviable career of Eric Watson; from butcher’s apprentice
to multimillionaire businessman and owner of the NZ Warriors, (who bowed out in
the semi-finals of the 2003 NRL to eventual winners Penrith). “See Eric Watson
and you can't help but think of the character Ferris Bueller, from the movie
Ferris Bueller's Day Off […] the teenager who gets into all sorts of
difficult situations but gets out of every one of them, just by thinking clearly
and being cool. Oh, and he gets the girl, too. Eric is the man you imagine
Ferris grew up into. Watson is so cool that you just know he didn't suddenly
become cool in his 20s, or his 30s. He's been cool since day one, for sure.” In
his latest incarnation as movie mogul, Watson recently opened Capital Pictures
and funded Geoff Murphy's NZ-made film, Spooked.
(28 September 2003)


Once were panelbeaters
NZ's 2003 "Rich List" is
headed by billionaire businessman Graeme Hart, who last year accomplished a
daring takeover of Australian food giant, Goodman Fielder. Hart was the subject
of the Australian headline; 'Once were panelbeaters, now cashed-up
Kiwis.' Other members include Stephen Tindall, Lucy Lawless, Rachel Hunter, Eric
Watson, the Auckland Warriors, and newcomers Rodney Duke (Briscoes Group) and
Michael Erceg (Independent Liquor). Sailors Russell Coutts and Brad Butterworth
also made the grade.
(19 July 2003)

Hart food
Graeme Hart, edge entrepreneur and controlling stakeholder at Burns Philip, has
completed his $2 billion takeover of Australian food group Goodman Fielder.
Burns Philip is now a certified trans-Tasman superpower, with such iconic Aussie
brands as Uncle Toby's and Meadow Lea under its umbrella.
(10 March 2003)

Kiwi gets top job
NZ-born businessman John Buchanan has been appointed senior independent
director of BHP Billiton, effective 1 February 2003. Buchanan was formerly chief
financial officer at Britain's BP.
(2 December 2002)

Superyacht supremos "New Zealand is fast becoming one of the world's biggest centres for
superyacht construction, with its low-cost high-tech designs." Alloy
Yachts is the world's 2nd largest manufacturer of superyachts: advantages
that make the sailing smooth include lower exchange rates and labour costs,
complete in-house production, successfully applied carbon-fibre technology from
the America's Cup and a revolutionary "in-boom furling" sail
management system. Their recently completed Victoria of Strathearn was
voted "Best Sailing Yacht over 38 metres for the year 2000" by
superyacht magazine Showboats
International. (24 April 2002)


World's finest fleece
Canterbury-based Escorial
Company, in conjunction with CSIRO
(Australia's Government science organisation), has produced the world's finest
bale of wool, registering a fibre diameter of 12.7 microns. "The finest
bale up to now was 12.9 micron in raw fibre, which is nowhere near as fine as
ours", says company founder Peter
Radford. With $40 million worth of retail trade since its inception in 1994,
Escorial wool is used by Italian fashion houses Gucci, Comme des Garcons, Chanel and Louis
Vuitton.
(9 April 2002)

Kiwi prof named head of International Federation of Accountants
Professor of Accounting and Public Policy at Victoria University, Wellington,
Ian Ball named chief executive of the world's top accountancy body, the New York
based International Federation of Accountants. "Ian is ideally suited to
lead IFAC
during this challenging time for the accountancy profession," comments Aki
Fujinuma, IFAC president as Ball arrives in the wake of Enron.
(March 2002)


South Sea's start-up
Stephen "Warehouse" Tindall, (Forbes: "the Sam [Walmart]
Walton of the South Pacific") backs NZ technology innovation in Red
Herring. Citing do-it-yourself Kiwi advances in biotech, multimedia and
software (the world's leading agricultural bio-tech research and the success of Lord
of the Rings) Tindall pushes New Zealand forward: "We need our
country to be self-sustaining ... I refuse to let our inventiveness go to waste
- this is my home and I want to see it flourish."
(22 January 2002)
Hey Prestwick! An airport
High-flying New Zealand airport developers Infratil snap up Prestwick Airport in
Ayreshire, planning to turn it into a low-cost travel hub.
(28 January 2001)


Whistle-blowing
After ten years of play on an unregulated field, an umpire has been appointed
for the New Zealand telecommunications industry.
(22 December 2000)
Putting meat on the table
"Inexpensive frozen New Zealand lamb enabled Glaswegians to put meat on the
table during the misery of the 1930s. Galloways "Empire Lamb
Shop", at the end of Jamaica Street, was open just four days a week, but
sold 1,600 New Zealand lambs each week."
(21 December 2000)
Temping it
An influx of hard-working New Zealand and Australian temps has lifted
industry standards in the UK.
(4 December 2000)

Yak by AFFCO
Trying new pastures, New Zealand meat co. AFFCO intends to grow yak in Tibet.
(2 December 2000)
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Dairy giant expands
New Zealand's Fonterra Cooperative Group, the world's biggest dairy exporter,
expects a double digit jump in Middle East and Africa sales over the next year
as the region's thirst for milk products grows and populations swell, said its
chief executive officer Andrew Ferrier. Fonterra's core business involves the
production of milk, milk powder and other milk-based ingredients. It acts as a
key supplier to global food giants like Nestle and Kraft but also owns and
operates a number of high profile consumer brands like Anchor butter, cheese and
milk, Tip Top ice cream and dietary supplement Anlene. To meet the growing dairy
requirements of the Middle East, Fonterra recently paid 120 million Saudi riyals
(US$32 million) to buy the remaining 51 per cent it didn't already own in Saudi
NZ Milk Products Co. from Saudi Dairy and Foodstuff Company, or Sadafco. Full
ownership of the manufacturing plant, said Ferrier, gives Fonterra "the
ability to grow the facility as our business grows." "It makes an
enormous amount of sense to us to have that footprint. We can make a number of
different products from there," he added. Ferrier said the Middle East,
Africa region currently accounts for about 10 per cent of the conglomerate's
total global revenues. In the six months to January 31, Fonterra's sales
worldwide amounted to $7.7 billion.
(25 April 2010)


Get your jet pack now
Inventor Glenn Martin's jet pack will soon be commercially produced at an
undisclosed site in New Zealand having finally secured sufficient investment.
The 200 horsepower dual-propeller packs are the brainchild of Martin who
unveiled his machine for the first time in July last year. Because it weighs
less than 115kg the jet pack does not require a pilot's licence. It is capable
of travelling 30 miles in 30 minutes on a full tank of fuel. And recent tests
have seen the newest model reach heights of up to 2400 metres and top speeds of
60mph. Martin Aircraft Company chief executive Richard Lauder said the pack
could be perfect for the emergency services, private users and even the
military. "This could be life-saving stuff. For us this is an excellent
commercial step," Lauder said.
(24 February 2010)


Challenge in the trees
Thirty minutes out of Auckland in Woodhill Forests Tree
Adventures has set up an adventure park allowing students and executives the
chance to excape classrooms and offices and clamber up branches, balance on
tightropes and zoom down flying foxes. Philippine Daily Inquirer reporter
Queena Lee-Chua "had the time of [her life], skipping over ropes, hanging
onto swaying steps, maneuvering through obstacles, way above the trees."
"Tree Adventures is not just physical — the challenges are mental as
well. My son had to think about how to go over tall pinions (meant for longer
legs) while still maintaining his balance. My husband had to think how not to
rely too much on his shoulders, so as not to inflame an old injury, as he held
on to much-needed pulleys and harnesses. No wonder Tree Adventures is a popular
retreat for students and executives. Not only is it a decent team-building
activity, it also promotes mental and physical learning." Tree Adventures
offers nine different courses ranging from three to 14 metres above the
ground.
(10 January 2010)


Smooth operator
New Zealand-based bus manufacturer DesignLine, which already has three
37-seater vehicles valued at $784,000 operating as part of a pilot scheme in New
York City, may be joined by 87 more buses by the end of the year. The newest
addition to New York City's formidable bus fleet — the experimental DesignLine
turbine hybrid — is notable mainly for a feature it does not have: noise.
"Quiet as a tomb," declared Doreen Frasca, an appointee to the board
of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, who has taken the bus several
times in the last month. Silence, that rare commodity on the city streets, is
achieved by throwing out the most basic element of automobile design: internal
combustion. Instead of a noisy, piston-based engine, the DesignLine operates on
a spinning turbine that recharges a lithium-ion battery, a green energy source
more commonly found inside laptop computers. That means fewer moving parts, and
fewer ways to create a racket. DesignLine International Holdings employs between
130 and 150 people in Ashburton and last year set up a second manufacturing
plant in Charlotte, North Carolina. New Zealander John Turton started the
business 23 years ago but sold out to a North Carolina-based investment group in
2006.
(6 December 2009)


Kanohi ki te kanohi
Whale Watch Kaikoura has been named overall winner of the Virgin
Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards 2009. The Telegraph's Mark
Chipperfield travels to the seaside town to spot some southern cetaceans. Whale
Watch Kaikoura is now the region's biggest employer, with a full-time staff of
77, a custom-built marina, a fleet of six purpose-built catamarans and an annual
turnover of $10m. On Chipperfield's second day in Kaikoura, a family of humpback
whales was spotted frolicking offshore. Within minutes the Esplanade was crowded
with excited onlookers, locals and tourists alike, craning to catch a glimpse.
Bound in the moment. "In our culture we have a saying: kanohi ki te kanohi —
face to face. My breath, your breath," says director Marcus Solomon.
"A destination is more than just a place on the map, it's the people you
meet there and the experiences you share. So tourism has a huge responsibility —
its arms reach far and wide." The Responsible Tourism Awards judges said of
the company: "Rarely do we see a tourism initiative developed from the
ground up by a local community to such a successful and grand scale — growing
from modest beginnings to securing in a joint venture with Sea World on the Gold
Coast of Australia to provide their whale watching." Wellington's YHA won
the award for best large hotel/accommodation (more than 50 rooms).
(11 November 2009)


Blumsky's selling point
Former Wellington mayor, shoe salesman and business mentor Mark Blumsky has
written a book promoting the secrets to success for small business owners:
differentiation and attitude. Slippers: Service and Selling begins with
an allegory of Peter the plumber, who always wears slippers in his customers'
houses and is particular about cleaning up after each job. The moral of the
story? He used the slippers and vacuum to create an impression. But these were
not just gimmicks: they demonstrated Peter's customer-focused attitude. "If
you do have your clear point of difference and drive that with an attitude then
you can actually do very well," Blumsky says. "People don't think
about that enough. It doesn't have to be big and flashy. A lot is attitudinal.
The plumber respected the house and he used his slippers to show it."
Blumsky founded Mischief Shoes in 1990. He was Wellington's mayor from 1995 to
2001.
(31 August 2009)


Front row seat for Kirk
Former Fairfax boss and All Black great David Kirk is the newly appointed
executive chairman of the Pacific Equity Partners-owned Hoyts cinema group. The
move, which will also see Kirk invest his own money in Hoyts, confirms that his
immediate future will be in Australia and not in his native New Zealand. Kirk
said a key reason for joining Hoyts was that cinema represented a largely
recession-proof business — a view borne out by statistics. But he denied
suggestions that he was moving to an "old media" company, after
spending much of his time at Fairfax trying to transform it into a "new
media" group. "I see strong opportunities — which I won't be
revealing today — in the core cinema exhibition business that are partly tied
up with the digitisation of movies which is on the way." In an interview
with the Sydney
Morning Herald Kirk says he's the first to admit there is some
attraction to less scrutiny in a private company. "You just don't have
public company reporting requirements but basically the running of the
business."
(2 July 2009)


Investing in breath
Roger Dickie New Zealand Ltd is offering investors shares in Onslow Carbon
Forest, an established Douglas-fir forest east of the township of Roxburgh for
$25,000 allowing investors the potential to earn carbon credits, and profit,
through private timberland ownership. "Forests, in a nutshell, are the
lungs of the world," Roger Dickie marketing manager Richard Bourne says.
"On average over the last decade, the world has been losing approximately
15 million hectares of forest per year. While deforestation is responsible for
emissions, too much emphasis has been placed on reducing deforestation and not
enough on reforestation. Reforestation can play a significant role in offsetting
emissions." Roger Dickie, a figure in the New Zealand timberland investment
sphere for several years, has established and managed 84 forests totaling 28,000
hectares worldwide. Bourne believes a forest by its very nature provides unique
real estate investment advantages: "By natural growth Mother Nature
contributes to the growing value of the asset," he says, "and you
never have a tenant problem."
(8 June 2009)


Awards for inspiration
New Zealand retailer Michael Hill was one of 50 finalists in the Ernst &
Young World Entrepreneur of the Year awards held in Monte Carlo. Last year in
New Zealand, judging panel chairman David Johnson said Hill had the attributes
and achievements that defined entrepreneurship. "The wealth, the public
company, the family ethic, he is the kind of person every entrepreneur would
want to become." As of the end of 2008 the company had 234 stores across
New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the US. For the six months to December it
produced $227 million in sales.
(1 June 2009)


Island fortunes
Fifty-four-year-old Aucklander Graeme Hart is the wealthiest man in Australasia
with an estimated net worth of $4.7 billion. For the first time since Forbes
Asia started keeping track of global fortunes, a New Zealander is richer
this year than any Australian. Hart bests Australian media heir James Packer, by
$1.6 billion. Hart, a former tow-truck driver who has amassed a packaging
powerhouse in recent years, was worth $700 million less than a year ago, but
that's still plenty to top all of his wealthy Australian neighbors. Right behind
Hart are billionaire brothers Christopher and Richard Chandler, who used the
proceeds from selling their parents' small North Island retailing business to
invest in Hong Kong real estate. The pair went on to found Singapore investment
firm Sovereign Global and now head up their own companies, both focused on
emerging markets and socially responsible investing.
(14 May 2009)


Merino magic
For the fourth year running South Canterbury merino farmers Barrie and Yvonne
Payne, owners of Visulea Farm in Maungati, have won the Loro Piana Record Bale
Award for the highest price paid for a single bale of super-fine graded wool
last year. Italian weaving company Loro Piana paid $2950 per kilogram of
11.8-micron clean merino wool, which would produce enough wool to make about 50
suits. The Payne's bale was recorded as having 11.8 microns, 64mm in length and
a strength of 38 nkt (Newtons per kilotex). "It's quite humbling to be
judged the best in New Zealand four years in a row," Yvonne
Payne said. The couple runs more than 3000 merino sheep on their 177ha farm.
The Paynes travelled to Beijing where they received their award.
(23 April 2009)


Up in the trees
New Zealand directory company Yellow has built a Tree House Restaurant using
only resources listed in its books. The restaurant, described by Lucy Gauntlett
of the Los Angeles Times as "a graceful pod that glows about 30 feet
above the ground," was built by Tracey Collins of Auckland, who blogged about the experience at www.yellowtreehouse.co.nz.
Designer Peter Eising used two dead redwood trees found in the surrounding
forest to build the restaurant, complimenting them with sustainably grown pine
and poplar. Eising said he was inspired by forms found in nature, and designed
the restaurant to resemble a chrysalis, holding an emerging butterfly. The
restaurant served 2,000 people before closing in February. Owners of the land
that hosts the restaurant are considering opening the tree house to the public
for ceremonial use.
(20 April 2009)


Money in bank
Billionaire investor and philanthropist Richard Chandler, who
heads Singapore-based investment fund Orient Global, has bought a 3 per cent
stake in Russian commercial bank Sberbank for $430 million, reports The
Guardian. Chandler's Sovereign Global Investment fund invested in Russian stocks
in the 1990s, at one time accumulating as much as 5 percent of Russian gas
company Gazprom. According to Forbes he and brother Christopher, born in
Matangi, Waikato, also a billionaire, invested proceeds from the sale of their
parents' retailing business — Chandler House — in Hong Kong real estate.
Together they founded investment firm Sovereign Global, focusing on
transitioning economies in Russia, Latin America, Asia and Eastern Europe.
(27 March 2009)


A personal charm
Hermann Seifried was laughed at when he arrived on the South Island 40 years
ago, looking to make wine. Today, he is the proud owner of an outstanding
winery, and the father of an industry so successful it has become synonymous
with the country itself. Seifried is just one example of New Zealand's most
underrated asset, writes the New Zealand Herald's travel editor, Jim Eagles.
Beyond the vistas and the vino attracting droves of visitors to the country,
there are "the people who host all those unique lodges, personalised jet
boat rides, walks in the wilderness, [and] great little restaurants serving Kiwi
cuisine," creating the backbone of New Zealand's particular appeal. This
innovative, adventurous spirit of New Zealand entrepreneurs is one of the
country's great strengths in a time of looming global economic contraction. John
Wilson, for example, built himself a boat 30 years ago so he could explore Abel
Tasman Park. He has gone on to head a company that escorts thousands of tourists
a year to see the park's golden bays and tranquil forests. "Theirs are the
sort of businesses the government needs to encourage if our economy is to
prosper," says Eagles. More than anything, "the chance to meet and
talk to such delightful personalities is a big part of what makes this such a
great country to explore."
(3 March 2009)


Tickled pink
New Zealand advertising agency DDB, creators of the pink hugging monster for
Pink Batts insulation, has been rated the world's best agency in the 6th annual
Bestadsontv.com rankings; New Zealand agencies Colenso and Saatchi & Saatchi
took second and third place respectively. DDB's television advertisement for
Pink Batts also won the award for best advert. DDB Chairman and chief creative
officer Bob Scarpelli said, "Sometimes our biggest ideas come from our
smallest countries. That has certainly been the case with DDB New Zealand over
the years. They consistently do what DDB does best: create communications that
people like and like to talk about. I am very proud of our New Zealand team for
capturing this honor." The Best Ads Rankings rate the world's leading
advertising agencies, clients and TVC production companies according to the
quality of their creative work over the entire year. Agencies across the globe
can submit work in one of five categories that are critiqued by a leading
international creative expert. Every ad that makes it into the Best list is
showcased online and all agencies involved are awarded points which are then
tallied up to give the year's overall rankings.
(9 January 2009)


Possums made good
Founder and CEO of fashion label Untouched World Peri Drysdale — who has an
MBE for services to manufacturing and export — began selling garments blended
from possum and merino in 1996, later catching the attention of Hollywood stars
Felicity Huffman and Sharon Stone. "The thing we really like about [the
possum/merino blend] is it creates a light, luxurious, beautifully soft garment
and, unusually for a very fine textile, it has very good long wearing
qualities," Drysdale said. Drysdale's Snowy Peak and Untouched World
companies are among a rising number of New Zealand firms making products under
names such as merinomink, eco-possum, possumdown, eco fur and possum wool. This
year, Drysdale was the Supreme winner at the World Class New Zealanders Awards.
Drysdale's daughter Emily is Untouched World's design director.
(21 December 2008)


Waterborne cars are go
New Zealand entrepreneur Alan Gibbs, 69, has opened an amphibious vehicle
engineering and research centre for his firm, Gibbs Technologies in Auburn
Hills, Michigan. Gibbs previewed two of his company's first three vehicles
before an audience of press and politicians. The first vehicle to hit the market
— sometime next year — will be the Quadski, a combination four-wheel
off-road vehicle and jet-ski. It will reach 40 mph on both land and water. Next,
in 2010, comes the Aquada, a three-seat convertible sports car powered by a
175-hp six-cylinder engine that will do 110 mph on the highway and 40 mph as a
speedboat able to tow a skier. "Push a button on the dash panel, drive
straight into the water and you can drive into the water at 10 or 15 miles an
hour," Gibbs said. He is also working on a third vehicle, now jokingly
called the "Humdinger" in homage to the Humvee. It's a large,
Humvee-styled truck intended for the military and civilian first responders that
will go 40 mph on either land or water. See NZEdge features archive page 'Alan
Gibbs — 'Floating an Idea' for more on Gibbs' creations.
(16 November 2008)


Craved in Canada
Kathmandu founder and owner of design store Nood, or "New Objects of
Desire", Jan Cameron has opened four stores in British Columbia. Nood
carries a range of household and personal products, including designer furniture
lines, ceramics, gifts and gadgets, luggage and home textiles. Tasmania-based
Cameron does not give interviews and goes out of her way to keep a low profile.
She's well known for her best-selling lines of outdoor equipment and clothing
under the Kathmandu brand and donated to various charitable causes. Cameron sold
Kathmandu in 2006 to Goldman Sachs J B Were and Quadrant Private Equity. She has
been reported as New Zealand's wealthiest woman.
(30 October 2008)


Tough gets going
Sportswear apparel maker Canterbury of New Zealand, which produces the shirts
worn by the Scottish Rugby Union team, will this week open its first retail
outlet in Europe. Canterbury, which also supplies Glasgow Warriors, will open at
the new Westfield shopping mall in west London. More openings are planned for
the UK, Ireland and continental Europe. The company is also planning to open in
New York. Canterbury of New Zealand sports apparel company was founded in
1904.
(26 October 2008)


Weddings on ice
Auckland-based bar group Minus5 is opening the first ice-lounge in the United
States, in Las Vegas, on September 26. Named for the temperature maintained
within its 1,200-square-foot main room - 5 degrees Celsius below freezing, or 23
degrees Fahrenheit - Minus 5 will feature a bar, chairs and cocktail glasses all
carved from frozen blocks. President of the chain Craig Ling said the concept
has been very successful worldwide, with similar places to chill in Auckland,
Queenstown, Australia, Sydney, Gold Coast and Viseu, Portugal. "We believe
we can do almost everything in ice," said Ling. "Everything except the
floors", he admits, "which will be nonslip masonry." There is
certainly no better place to debut the chain's first wedding chapel. Minus5 will
offer fur-trimmed white wedding dresses and ceremonies. Further bars also are
set to open in Los Angeles, Manhattan, Miami and Hawaii by next year.
(11 September 2008)


Villa away from chateau
Auckland entrepreneur Nick Wood sold internet service provider Ihug in 2003 to
Perth company iiNet for $80 million and set up Distinctive Holiday Homes (DHH),
a luxury destination club with property around the world. Wood had been living
at his own resort in Fiji when the idea came to him. He has now spent more than
$US20 million on 11 properties (including two yachts) that come with concierge,
maid service and food and luxury vehicles. Current destinations include a
six-bedroom home in Beaver Creek, Colorado, a 17th century, five-bedroom Tuscan
villa set among an olive grove and a lodge in Aspen Grove, Queenstown. Wood
says his clients crave the multi-millionaire's lifestyle, complete with yachts,
sports cars and private jets, but don't want the bill that comes with it.
"Our clients are often able to afford numerous international holidays and
holiday homes. But they lead busy lives and don't want the burden of
ownership," he says. Wood says he and his family do not have to leave New
Zealand for California-based DHH to be a success. "We'll always live here
permanently because it's home."
(23 September 2008)


Hart's net worth
Auckland investor Graeme Hart, 53, owner of the world's second-largest
drink-carton maker, Alcoa Inc. has surpassed both Donald Trump and Sir Richard
Branson in the wealth stakes, doubling his bank account over the past year.
According to the National Business Review's 2008 Rich List Hart is worth
$6 billion, one of six New Zealand billionaires. Hart's private investment
company Rank Group bought Alcoa packaging and consumer business for $2.7 billion
in December. The NBR 2008 list includes 178 entrants with a combined
wealth of NZ$44.4 billion, up from NZ$38.6 billion last year. Rank Group is the
100 per cent owner of food manufacturer Burns Philp and paper business Carter
Holt Harvey.
(25 July 2008)


Landing in hospital
New Zealand company Medtral is attracting American medical tourists 7,000 miles
across the globe searching for quality non-acute surgical procedures at cheaper
rates than their own system is able to offer. Medtral says it can offer
procedures at boutique New Zealand hospitals with English-speaking follow-up
personal nursing care and a culture that feels familiar to many Americans. Air
New Zealand, a partner in Medtral, will arrange travel packages to and within
the country. Edward Watson, a New Zealand OB-GYN who has been highly successful
as a consultant for pharmaceutical firms including Pfizer and Pharmacia says 29
Americans and one Canadian have registered with Medtral since the company's Web
site was launched in September. "New Zealand is perceived as a safe
option," Watson says. "For an American coming here, it's not a foreign
experience. Yeah, it's different, but you still have Starbucks, you have
McDonald's." Operations are performed at Auckland's Ascot and Mercy private
hospitals and include IVF treatment, orthopaedic surgery and cardiac
operations.
(8 July 2008)


Seaweed means fuel
Aquaflow Bionomic Corporation, a New Zealand-based company, is likely to be the
first of its kind to produce biofuel from large quantities of wild algae.
Aquaflow's chairman Barrie Leay said his company had successfully achieved
"commercial-scale continuous harvesting of tons of wild algae" in a
recent interview with Ethanol Producer Magazine. Aquaflow disclosed earlier this
year that it was seeking $5 million to continue improving the refining process;
its technology has garnered interest from investors in the UK, US, Australia and
Asia. It is currently in talks with Boeing to develop an algae-based jet
fuel.
(11 April 2008)


Virgin's cable guy
Neil Berkett has been promoted to a permanent role as chief executive at Virgin
Media. Berkett took on the job at the cable company as acting chief executive in
August last year when Steve Burch resigned. Berkett began his career at the
national Post Office in New Zealand before moving to Australia. The former
banking executive joined the UK cable industry in 2005, when he became chief
operating officer of NTL, which later merged with rival Telewest and was
rebranded as Virgin Media. Virgin Media chairman Jim Mooney said the board is
delighted at his acceptance of the role. "Since taking on the role of
acting CEO six months ago, he's demonstrated that he has both the strategic
vision and operational experience to take the company into its next phase of
growth," Mooney said.
(7 March 2008)


Tips for the Irish
Irish sheep farmers are looking to their New Zealand counterparts for advice on
how to make more money tending their flocks. Lincoln University's Dr John
Hickford spoke at two conferences in Kilkenny and Athlone discussing how New
Zealand sheep farmers had evolved their business in the absence of subsidies,
and about new technologies available to sheep farmers to help increase their
profits. Dr Hickford explained that sheep farmers in New Zealand lost all their
subsidies in 1987 and were forced overnight to produce in an unprotected
environment. The Independent's
Michael Gottstein wrote that Irish sheep farmers can learn some valuable
lessons.
(4 March 2008)


Beyond the ugg
No longer are New Zealand's fashion tastes being derided for unbecoming
tracksuits and shoes, the local fashion industry is pinning the country on the
style map. New Zealand is now home to a vibrant and steadily expanding fashion
industry, with some 50 established labels, up from a handful ten years ago, half
of which sell abroad. The Economist cites Karen Walker, Trelise Cooper and
Icebreaker as leading examples of the New Zealand fashion industry's value. The
World Trade Organisation says clothes exports were worth NZ$315m ($216m) in the
year to June 2007, up from NZ$194m a decade earlier. Trelise Cooper says because
New Zealanders are geographically remote and have little exposure to mass
labels, like Gucci and Gap, designers ignore the rules. "This produces a
different, quite edgy style," Cooper says.
(28 February 2008)


Blogs in big business
Former Aucklander Andy
Lark, recently appointed VP of global marketing and
communications at Dell, is one of the technology industry's "Most
Influential" communicators according to PR Week. Champion of big business
using internet tools, such as blogs and forums to improve communication with
customers, Lark says any industry can embrace blogging. "[The communication
team is] the nexus point inside the enterprise where the message comes in and
the message goes out ... So many customer issues and concerns are being
expressed as conversations." Lark runs one of the biggest marketing budgets
in the world, reportedly worth $4.5 billion.
(31 January 2008)


Dave versus Goliath
The opening of a new hotel in Christchurch coincided with the launch of a film
detailing the unusual story behind its development. Hotel SO is the result of
property developer Dave Henderson's 13-year clash with the NZ Inland Revenue
Department (IRD). We're Here to Help captures the battle on film: from
Henderson's complaint about comments made to his girlfriend while seeking a
rebate, to IRD's subsequent audit of his business and resulting million dollar
claim, and the ensuing 4-year court battle which ended in Henderson's favour.
Rather than resting on his laurels, Henderson bought the building that housed
the IRD, evicted its tenants and set up the hip, ultra-modern Hotel SO. He now
plans to open similar hotels in Auckland, London and New York.
(27 November 2007)


The post-industrial revolution
Wellington-based Ponoko is one of a wave of
new companies offering personalised product manufacturing services online.
Founded by David ten Have and Derek Elley, the Ponoko website lets customers
upload designs for cases and enclosures as digital files, which Ponoko then
laser-cut from metal or wood. The product is flat-packed and shipped back to the
original customer, who assembles it at their end. Elley likens the process to
teleportation in an interview with The New York Times: "... products
will be shipped not in solid state, but as design files - meaning manufacture
can happen as close to the point of consumption as possible. The future is one
where people will be buying and selling product design files - and consumers
will be able to control the manufacturing process direct from their PC."
Elley and ten Have plan to open fabrication stations around the world, starting
in the US.
(15 November 2007)


Hyperfactory enters hyperdrive
Rich Frank, former president of both Walt Disney Studios and Paramount
Television Group, has invested in NZ mobile marketing agency The
Hyperfactory. He joins 42 Below vodka's founder and chairman, Geoff Ross and
Grant Baker, and Paul Frank, current head of television at The Firm, as chief
investors in the award-winning company, which was founded in 2000 by brothers Derek
and Geoff Handley (pictured). "[The Hyperfactory] were one of the few
who weren't just a sales group or someone who comes in and pitches you an idea
and ... [then] try to find some creatives to do it or people to write the
programming," said Rich Frank in Adweek. "They were able to
function and execute the ideas. It is really what I'd call a full-service agency
... They do all the creative and media buying. I was impressed with them."
The Hyperfactory has a US headquarters in New York, International headquarters
in Auckland, and sales offices in LA, Chicago, Shanghai, Hong Kong and India.
Its client roster includes Toyota, Motorola, Vodafone and Coca Cola.
(5 November 2007)


Hot pick for Virgin Media
Wellington-born Neil
Berkett is widely expected to be made chief executive of Virgin Media.
Berkett joined Virgin Media as chief operating officer in 2005 and has been
acting chief executive of the company since the abrupt departure of Steve Burch
last month. He recently announced his intention to develop Virgin Media's
broadband services in the UK, rather than continue to compete for BSkyB's
premium pay-TV market share. "Despite our technical advantage we are still
not really standing out from the crowd," he admitted in a Guardian
interview. "I really do want to re-focus our energies onto the broadband
platform." Berkett has previously worked for Prudential Assurance Company
and Lloyds TSB in the UK.
(22 October 2007)


Edge dynamics in action
NZ social researcher Brent D Taylor
has applied Edge theory to economics in his new book Outsider's Edge: The
Making of Self-Made Billionaires. Taylor has spent the past four years
studying the backgrounds of some of the world's richest men and women, including
Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey and Sir Richard Branson. He identifies the
"outsider" status of each billionaire subject as a common factor
uniting and motivating the group, despite their different upbringings, interests
and industries. Outsider's Edge was released in Australia on October 8,
and will be published in the US in April next year.
(28 September 2007)


Milking it
NZ is reaping the benefits of a global milk boom, according to the New York
Times. Milk is in high demand and short supply due to a combination of
global factors, including climate change, trade policies and the economic
explosion in China and India. "Even when prices start easing back, we don't
expect them to go back to where they were," said Hayley Moynihan, a dairy
analyst at NZ's Rabobank. "The cost of production and ongoing demand is
going to see prices eventually settle at higher levels than they did in the
past." NZ is one of the world's largest milk producers, and the largest
exporter of dairy products.
(4 September 2007)


Design Mobel goes global
Tauranga bed and furniture maker Design Mobel has launched the first of its
Okooko global concept stores in Wellington and Hong Kong, with more to follow in
the US later this year. Okooko stores integrate award winning NZ design and
sustainable NZ manufacture, with a focus on Design Mobel's trademarked Bodyfit
Sleep System -personalised bedroom spaces made from all-natural materials. The
name Okooko comes from an old Maori word meaning to cradle in arms. The
Wellington store is located at the corner of Blair and Wakefield streets.
(August 2007)


Green choice for NZ motorists
NZ has launched its first commercial biofuel - Gull Force 10. Available
through Gull Petroleum stations, the "green" fuel blends 90 per cent
premium gasoline with 10 per cent bioethanol made from cows' milk. "We are
serious about providing motorists with real choice and leading the way in
reducing greenhouse gas emissions," said PM Helen Clark at the biofuel's
Auckland launch. Gull is a family-owned business with 30 petrol stations in the
North Island. Gull commissioned NZ dairy giant Fonterra to produce bioethanol
for its Gull Force 10 blend in 2004.
(1 August 2007)


Barclay founder rates
NZ Barclay founder and president William J. Buechler gives NZ investments the
thumbs up in a column for Forbes. Buechler predicts that NZ's rising short-term
interest rates, combined with Fonterra's 27% share increase, the discovery of
new oil reserves and the introduction of the KiwiSaver retirement fund scheme,
will see a dramatic increase of funds into the NZ Stock Exchange. Buechler:
"Assuming the number of publicly traded companies in New Zealand remains
near existing levels, the impact of the money surge on stock prices and future
market capitalization should be obvious and will offer early adopters tremendous
opportunity."
(11 July 2007)


Eslinger in all things interactive
Tom Eslinger, worldwide interactive creative director for Saatchi & Saatchi,
was president of the Cyber jury at this year's Cannes International Advertising
Festival. He spoke about the importance of ideas and the growing respect for
media as a creative field in an interview with AdWeek. "[M]y biggest
challenge is going to be to keep everybody focused on looking for the big ideas
that are executed the most brilliantly," he said. "Somebody will
always do a smarter piece of Flash programming next year and there will always
be a nicer mobile phone, and there will always be a cooler gadget. The thing I
want to look for is the idea that works across a whole bunch of channels and
kicks the most ass." Born in North Dakota and now based in Los Angeles,
Eslinger is also a long-time resident of NZ having been Saatchi & Saatchi's
first ever creative director for interactive and emerging technologies, first in
Wellington, then Auckland. He founded the Wanganui School of Design in
1987.
(18 June 2007)


Top of his game
New Zealander Bob Hayward has found success in the highly competitive US
film industry. Based in Los Angeles, Hayward is the Chief Operating Officer and
founding partner of Summit Entertainment, an independent distribution company
turned film studio established in 1993. Summit began as a foreign distributor of
English-language films and now makes, promotes and distributes its own movies.
Its most successful script acquisitions to date include Mr and Mrs Smith and
Memento. Hayward graduated from Auckland University in 1982 and promptly
embarked on an OE that is yet to finish. "When I first landed, I thought,
'God, I'm going to the land of whizzkids; I'm going to seem like the yokel from
the country' - and actually I did very well," he said in a recent NZ Herald
interview. Hayward has since worked in 35 different countries and, prior to
founding Summit, did internal audits for United International Pictures and ran
theatres for Cannon Films.
(June 2007)


NZ ranks swell at creative hotspot
Geoff Coyle is the latest New Zealander to join advertising powerhouse 180
in Amsterdam, bringing the combined total to eight. "Of the 23
nationalities employed here, NZ is by far the most over-represented group,"
said Coyle's compatriot Kruno Ivancic in Fastline. "And, as usual, we are
making our presence felt in the land of milk, cheese and tulips." Creative
team Stacey Lee and Rosita Rawnsley and account manager Sam Dempsey (all
ex-Saatchi Auckland), creative director Andy Fackrell, digital artist and
designer Emile Wilmar and account executive Lauren Andrews make up the NZ
contingent. 180 has produced award-winning campaigns for Sony, MTV and Adidas,
including the sports giant's recent Impossible is Nothing series featuring Jonah
Lomu (pictured).
(May 2007)


Xero on the money
A NZ online accounting software company has won the inaugural International Technium
Challenge, a business planning competition sponsored by International
Business Wales. Wellington-based Xero beat
19 entries from five other countries, winning the opportunity to open an office
in one of Wales' Technium business innovation centres along with a business
support package worth NZ $120,000. "The Technium Challenge programme will
... give Xero a fantastic platform from which to enter the European
market," said company co-founder Rod Drury. Xero is an online accounting
system designed for small to medium-sized businesses launched in 2003. Its
features include daily bank account updates, a 'dashboard' providing a snapshot
of your business at a glance and real-time advice from financial advisors.
(25 May 2007)


Pure and simple
NZ mineral water Antipodes was
reviewed by Michael Mascha, author of Fine Waters: A Connoisseurs Guide to the
World's Most Distinctive Bottled Waters, in the LA Times. "The soft, light
bubbles (it's artificially carbonated) and low mineral content contrast well
with food without overpowering it," he writes, recommending readers pair it
with Chinese dishes such as sweet and sour pork. Antipodes is an Auckland-based
company that exports to a growing number of countries, from Taiwan to the
Maldives. Last year, Antipodes was judged the world's best sparkling water at
the prestigious Berkeley Springs Winter Festival of Waters in California.
(20 May 2007)


Risky business
A viral advertising
campaign by NZ's Prodigy Films has caused a stir online. Created for Irish
skincare line Elave (Ovelle Pharmaceuticals), Prodigy's "Nothing
to Hide" clip is a risqué parody of the countless cosmetic or personal
hygiene ads set in a laboratory. To emphasise the purity of its products, the
Elave take on the traditional "lab technician" ad features an all-nude
male and female cast. "New Zealanders are so laid-back that they made it
seem totally natural," said company owner Joanna Gardiner of the shoot, in
which she also appeared. Gardiner claims that sales of Elave products have
soared by 500% as a result of the risky campaign, which has been viewed, at the
time of writing, by more than 350,000 people. "Nothing to Hide" was
directed by Brendan Donovan and produced by Caz Hearn, with creative work by
Dave Govier and Levi Slavin.
(15 May 2007)


Matterhorn among world's best
Wellington institution the Matterhorn
has been named one of the world's top
five bars by respected US trade magazine, Bartender. The Cuba St local was
ranked fifth behind Milk & Honey (London), Salvatore at Fifty (London), The
American Bar (London) and Bayswater Brasserie (Sydney). Judges described the
Matterhorn as "a bastion
of creativity and bar culture in NZ [that] has led the way for many
years." Last year, the Matterhorn was crowned Best Bar in New Zealand and
won Best Drink Selection at the inaugural New Zealand Bar Awards in Auckland.
"There's a definite culture that goes with the Matterhorn," said
co-owner Sam Chapman in the NZ Herald. "It's a real local, rather than just
an urban tourist spot - it's very much part of the fabric of people's daily
lives."
(22 April 2007)


Stamps commemorate centenaries
NZ Post has issued a series of stamps celebrating the centenaries of four
organisations that have played a major role in the country's history. Released
April 24, the stamps pay tribute to Suzanne Aubert's House of Compassion, World
Scouting, the Plunket Society and NZ Rugby League. "The stamps will be
popular reminders of their significance to this country's sporting and social
development," said NZ Post stamps general manager Ivor Masters in the NZ
Herald.
(April 2007)


Text polling a hit in US
Auckland mobile marketing company Txstation
has established a strong presence in the US, providing real-time audience
polling for the National Basketball Association, Fox News and the Ultimate
Fighting Championship. Txtstation's technology allows broadcasters and event
organisers to ask viewers questions during games and broadcasts using on-screen
graphics. Answers are sent in via SMS to a shortcode or through a website and
are then displayed in real-time on TV, online or in stadiums. "That's very
appealing, not just for broadcasters and sporting leagues, but for advertisers
and sponsors of sports," said chief executive Greg Hayes in Wellington's
Dominion Post. "We've got a real niche in the marketplace." Txstation
is now seeking capital from NZ investors to expand its operations in the
US.
(12 February 2007)


Final tourist frontier
Christchurch internet entrepreneur Mark
Rocket was the first New Zealander to sign up for one of Sir Richard
Branson's Virgin Galactic space flights. The self-described space nut (he
changed his surname from Stevens by deed poll) put down the required US$200,000
to buy one of the initial 100 seats more than a year ago, and expects to take
off in early 2009. "It's one of my lifetime goals to get into space,"
he said in the NZ Herald, "I've always been interested in space travel and
I had been following the development of the new generation of spacecraft very
closely." House of Travel has just been announced as NZ's only accredited
"space agent" for the tourist flights. "Kiwis are great
travellers and they're always looking for new experiences," says the
chain's retail director Brent Thomas. Approximately a fifth of the 10,000 people
who have registered an interest in Virgin's space flights are from
Australasia.
(17 January 2007)


Knife-edge marketing
A Miami Herald feature puts the spotlight on the man behind 42 Below's
aggressive US marketing campaign: James Dale. Despite having no professional
training, 35-year-old Dale has successfully carved a niche in the
ultra-competitive world American liquor advertising. He describes his frequently
controversial approach as "spider-monkey marketing - nimble, cheeky moves -
as opposed to guerrilla (gorilla) marketing." Some of his riskier gimmicks
include a "win a Russian bride" contest and the New York "Snow
Patrol," where vodka shots and snow shovelling services are offered to
frozen nightclub bouncers. "You do walk a very careful line [between
controversy and public backlash]," says Adrants.com editor Steve Hall,
"But 42 Below vodka has just straddled that line perfectly."
(3 November 2006)


Evans provides edge perspective
Laurence Evans has taken a top position with Edelman, the world's largest
independent public relations company. Evans has been appointed president of
Edelman's full-service research firm - StrategyOne - whose client list includes
Unilever, Wal-Mart and Wrigley's. "StrategyOne has a track record of
developing research that informs and evaluates some of the most successful
communications and marketing campaigns of recent years," says Evans.
"I am pleased to be leading the firm." The Canterbury University
graduate has previously worked for top US research firm Penn, Schoen &
Berland Associates and Caltex Corporation.
(18 September 2006)


Hands on high flyer
Kiwi Carly Arnold has been named one of British magazine Management Today's 35
women under 35 for 2006. Arnold, 29, studied engineering and business at
Auckland University and worked for Air NZ before landing a business analyst job
at EasyJet (UK) in 2002. Five promotions later, Arnold is EasyJet's general
manager at Luton airport, overseeing more than 500 staff, 17 aircraft and a
budget of £30 million. Her advice to recent graduates? "Ask questions,
never stop learning and build good relationships."
(29 July 2006)


Fonterra gets bigger
NZ dairy giant Fonterra has established a strong foothold in Australia's eastern
states thanks to a crucial new partnership with Lismore-based co-op, Norco.
Under the agreement, Norco will provide the manufacturing facilities and supply
milk to the Fonterra on a preferred basis in exchange for Fonterra's sales,
marketing and distribution support. According to Fonterra Brands GM Aidan
Coleman, the alliance will provide the company with further opportunities to
grow its branded milk business in Australia.
(15 June 2006)


Top dog, top bloke
Former Air NZ CEO, Ralph
Norris, graces the cover of June's Australian Financial Review Boss
magazine. The lengthy profile is devoted to his new role as head of Australia's
Commonwealth Bank - the first major interview the famously low-key Norris has
granted. Boss: "The CEO is good company. In contrast to the tenure of his
sometimes testy, somewhat aloof predecessor, Norris' short time in the cockpit
of Australia's biggest bank has been defined by his affability and openness.
And, at least to staff, his accessibility." Norris explains his management
philosophy as leading by example: "As a chief executive you are a role
model, whether you like it or not. That means how you react, how you act, very
much sets the standard for the organisation. So it's not a case of do as I say
and not as I do. It is a case of having complete alignment between what you are
saying and what you are doing. That's very important in creating trust and
respect in the organization."
(June 2006)


NewZealand.com the business
Business Week hails Tourism NZ's Webby Award winning website, NewZealand.com,
as "a vibrant blend of heritage and enterprise" - media savvy,
innovative and easy to use. "[NZ] is clearly establishing itself as a prime
mover with a perceived ascendant star. A neutral country with a rich cultural
past and an abundance of breathtaking scenery, matched only by the warmth and
humility of its people. The website perfectly complements these qualities."
The Webby Awards are the online equivalent of the Oscars.
(11 January 2006)


Tourism’s Holy Grail
A Guardian Film article on cinema-inspired tourism points to
NZ as the ultimate example. “Every country wants its own Lord of the Rings.
The extra-ordinary pulling power of the trilogy - the perfect shop window for
the country's spectacular landscapes - revitalised a tourist industry now worth
more than £3bn.”
(17 February 2006)


Top ten showing
New Zealand was listed in the top
ten in Forbes’ recent ranking
of the world’s most
foreign investment friendly economies. NZ scored 88.5/100 taking tenth place
in the list of 135 countries. The Top places went to Denmark, Finland and
Iceland. According to the National Business Review, NZ scored highly in the
wages and prices (99), ease of regulation (98) and absence of corruption (99)
categories but was disadvantaged by an abysmal score in corporate tax rates
(31).
(6 February 2006)


Zespri strikes gold
The Zespri phenomenon has been featured in online marketing magazine Reveries.
NZ lost its domination of international kiwifruit sales as far back as 1989,
when countries such as Italy, Spain, Chile, South Africa and France starting
producing the fruit en masse. Instead of admitting defeat, NZ Kiwi farmers
teamed up with Hort Research to develop - and, crucially, patent - a new variety
named Zespri Gold. Zespri Gold reported sales of $150 million in 2005, 50% more
than in 2003. The company predicts sales of $650 million by 2009. Reveries:
"Best part is, unlike the original kiwi, the new variety was patented,
meaning that anyone who wants to grow it has to pay a licensing fee. Irony is,
among Zespri's best customers are the very countries that used to be stealing
their market share. How cool is that?"
(23 May 2006)


Would you like fries with that $25 million?
Three Kiwi
entrepreneurs have sold their hugely successful chain of UK burger
restaurants for NZ$25.7 million. Greg Driscoll, Brandon Allen and Adam Wills
opened the first Gourmet Burger
Kitchen in Battersea, south London, in 2001. Similar in concept to NZ's
Burger Wisconsin, GBK soon developed a cult following, winning the Observer Food
Monthly's coveted Best Cheap Eats award in 2005. The business has been purchased
by Clapham House, a major restaurant conglomerate owned by David Page. Driscoll,
Brandon and Wills will stay on as company directors.
(13 November 2005)


The “little airline that could”
Air NZ’s ongoing $800 million overhaul
has not gone unnoticed in the US, with lengthy articles devoted to its new look
747’s in the LA Times and FirstClassFlyer. Upgrades include
fold-out flat beds in business class, personal TV screens for all seats,
doubling the size of its LAX lounge, and the introduction of a high-end economy
class. FirstClassFlyer editor, Matthew J Bennett, calls Air NZ “a little
known gem,” and ranks its revamped business class as second only to Virgin
Atlantic. “Business travellers will be flocking to Air NZ,” he said.
(14 August 2005)


Design on the money
Auckland based Cabco Group Ltd is to
provide hi-tech shopping carts for US retail giants Wal-Mart and H.E Butt. The
Wal-Mart deal alone is expected to net the company $50 million per annum. The TV
Cart is simultaneously a shopping trolley and a state-of-the-art entertainment
system for kids, with an inbuilt LCD screen showing the latest children’s films
and TV shows. The carts are also fitted with real-time monitoring devices, which
allow maintenance issues to be resolved from NZ via the internet. Cabco Managing
Director, Doug Bartlett, describes the TV Cart as “simple, quirky technology at
the cutting edge.”
(August 2005)


Bellew gives Oman a go
Long-standing Christchurch Airport CEO,
George Bellew, is leaving the top job for a major international one. Bellew is
to run the Oman Airports Management Company, which means overseeing $1.46
billion worth of upgrades to the Middle Eastern hub. 64-year-old Bellew was once
the protégé of renowned Kiwi business mogul Sir Tom Clark. “[Tom] taught me that
Kiwis can,” says Bellew. “He convinced me that we can fight it out with the
best. Giving it a go is my poison.”
(17 August 2005)


All in a day’s work
The Economist reports on ructions to repair the dire finances and arcane structure at Oxford University. Proposals by new vice chancellor John Hood to centralize decision-making and change the way in which dons’ work have stimulated an outcry from the dons. “A brisk New Zealander, Mr Hood has little time for self-indulgent eccentricities. Many dons think he’s insufficiently respectful of Oxford’s age and grandeur. “It’s not as if we’ve been sitting around wishing we were as good as the University of Auckland, It’s not as if he were from Harvard” sniffs a college head.”
The Guardian has several reports featuring mixed opinion, proposing Hood both as a "businessman, not an academic", and as “highly accessible…with the express intention of stimulating debate." The subsequent appointment of Oxford’s first female senior administrator (from Auckland University) brought cries of Hood “hand-picking the executive”. (4 May 2005). Meanwhile
The Independent
commends John Hood, for his foresight and quick-thinking in regards to the institution’s financial situation. “Hood deserves congratulation for asking the right questions and hiring a firm like McKinsey (on a pro bono basis) to come up with the answers. He has done the job amazingly speedily considering he arrived only last autumn. His action shows what can be done if you hire a vice-chancellor from outside the system - especially when that man has a background of running NZ's second biggest conglomerate.”
(21 May 2005)

Prime real estate
The iconic Cardrona Hotel in Central Otago is officially on the market, with a
$7 million price tag. Built in 1863, the rustic gold rush-era building features
16 guest rooms, an onsite dwelling for the owner, a general store, and a
restaurant.
(5 November 2004)

Dynamic partnership
Christchurch based Nano Cluster Devices
Ltd (NCD) has secured a potentially lucrative partnership with American
organization and manufacturer, NanoDynamics. NanoDynamics is to take over
international sales duties for NCD’s groundbreaking technologies, which include
the self-assembly of nanowires in production of semiconductors and electronic
components.
(18 October 2004)

Taking care of business
NZ ranked first overall in the World
Bank’s
‘Doing Business’ report for 2004, ahead of the US, Singapore, Hong Kong, and
Australia. The annual survey decides which countries are best for doing business
in based on seven key areas; starting a business, hiring and firing workers,
enforcing contracts, getting credit, closing a business, registering a property
and protecting investors.
(9 September 2004)

First and best
Christchurch businesswoman Elizabeth
Deuchrass has won the International Partnership Network’s 7th biannual
Global Best Award for the Pacific Ocean region - the first NZer ever to do
so. Her company - Elizabeth Deuchrass & Associates Ltd – has spent the last 20
years promoting exchange between schools and businesses. She will collect the
award in London at the ‘Global Challenges, Local Actions’ conference this
November.
(11 August 2004)

Super-mini
Age profiles Paul Hakes of
Wellington’s Hakes Marine: the man behind super-maxi yacht, Zana. Hakes’ latest
project is a 12m racing boat, which he hopes to successfully export to
Australia. “It is a modern design, a fast boat and it is a cost effective boat
and uses the best of what NZ has to offer,” says Hakes.
(26 July 2004)

World class
Dr John Bedbrook, President and CEO of
American GM crop developer Verdia, has returned to his native NZ as part of the
government's
World Class New Zealanders business advisory program. Bedbrook recently
spoke at the Bio2004 convention in San Francisco.
(June 2004)

'Queen of Literature'
Easy Jet In-Flight profiles Liz
Calder, co-founder of Britain's most successful independent publishing house,
Bloomsbury Plc. Dubbed the 'Queen of Literature,' Calder is credited with
discovering the likes of Salman Rushdie, Anita Brookner and Julian Barnes. The
Bloomsbury stable is currently home to J.K Rowling's blockbuster Harry Potter
series, Margaret Atwood, Jeffrey Eugenides and Donna Tartt. Calder: "When
we started out I think a lot of people thought, 'Well, let’s see how this new
company does. They might fall flat on their faces. They might not be there in a
year’s time.’ But that was the element of risk. Twenty years on we’re in a very
different state. We’re now one of the well-established houses and we walk with a
big stick these days. We’re not the publishing house that’s dodging, ducking and
diving. And although that’s good, I do miss it." Liz Calder was born in
England but grew up in New Zealand and has strong family ties to New Zealand.
(January 2004)

BECA at the helm
NZ engineering company BECA
International has won a lucrative contract from the Marshall Islands government
to oversee US-funded construction projects worth US$14 million. Most of the
funding has been assigned to new educational and healthcare facilities.
(1 February 2004)
Snap, crackle and edge
NZ-born David Mackay makes Time’s list of ‘World Beaters: People to
Watch in International Business.’ After 3 years at the helm of Kellog Co.’s
US division, Mackay had brought the cereal company back to its status as a
best-selling American brand. He now oversees operations in more than 180
countries, as Kellog’s COO.
(15 September 2003)


Kiwi juice goes global
Auckland-based kiwifruit juice
manufacturers - Nekta International Limited - have made a successful entry into
the US market. Sales have "exceeded expectations" since the product
was lauched there in June. Nekta is already sold in Australia, Asia, Europe, and
Africa.
(26 August 2003)


EasyNZ
Air NZ has responded to increased and
heavily discounted competition by introducing a no-frills Tasman Express
service. So far, the cheap fares are proving to be a lucrative addition; by
mid-August, Air NZ had tripled its average daily trans-Tasman online bookings.
Overall, the airline has clocked up its first
profit in 4 years. Chairman, John Palmer: "We have come a long way in a
short time."
(12 August 2003)


Meridian puts the wind up Australians
NZ's Meridian Energy is poised to spend up to $600 million on developing wind
energy facilities in Australia over the next 5 years. The project depends on the
federal government's renewal of its mandated renewable energy target (MRET)
scheme. Says Meridian's Keith Turner; "We are not here to dabble, we're a
serious player."
(30 May 2003)

Telecom top performer
Trans-Tasman rivalry entered the field
of telecommunication last month, as Australian Telstra and NZ Telecom battled
for recognition as the best performer in their field for 2001-2. British
consultants, IR Group, awarded top honours to NZ Telecom Corp., after measuring
the companies' respective returns to investors over the financial year.
(23 January 2003)


Ideas from the edge
NZEDGE co-founder
and worldwide CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi Kevin Roberts talks to The Times
about his work guiding MBA students at Cambridge and to The Independent
about the age of the idea: "He preaches love but hates management; he wants ideas but not
information." An overview of Robert's "unique take
on the world." A self-confessed optimist and champion of individual thought
over the "herd mentality" of management, Roberts has bridged the
unlikely gap between numbers-driven marketing and product "lovability"
by turning a global advertising giant into a "hothouse of ideas."
(29 September 2002)

 Bus-class high flyer
Kiwi Ray Webster is Chief Executive of pioneering no-frills airline Easy
Jet. Touching down in the market in a big way Webster works by the mantra that,
"Airlines are about people, not about airplanes and airports." The
Observer's Frank Kane talks to "the typical New Zealander" about
convincing the city, rivals, and passengers about a £400m link up with
competitor Go and access to European markets
(12 May 2002)

Business class destination
New Zealand is ranked the fourth best place
to do business in Asia, according to prominent think tank - the Economist
Intelligence Unit. The rankings took into account 70 factors, including
political risk and corruption, key economic indictors, foreign exchange
regulations, infrastructure, and tax policies. Singapore edged out rival Hong
Kong and then Australia, to take the top spot.
(24 April 2002)


Stand and deliver
NZ Post held up as successful post-liberalisation
model which British Post could try to emulate. As a "beacon of public
service in a privatised world", NZ Post has remained dominant because,
"it has the advantage of a nationwide network which it can exploit
effectively".
(1 February 2002)

Man with the hook
NZ-born Sam Chisholm, the man
who spent more time in the boxing ring than class room at King's College, who
then went on to become deal maker and right hand man for both Kerry Packer and
Rupert Murdoch, is profiled SMH's Good Weekend.
Depending on who you talk to, Chisholm is "a little guy with a Napoleonic
complex,...a bully who respects people who stand up to him,...or a man with a tough
exterior but a soft interior". Chisholm: "Loyalty is important ... once you've sold your principles you've got
nothing left".
PDF Copy
(2002)

NZ's edge-provoking Entrepreneurial spirit
New Zealand has the second most dynamic entrepreneurial
activity of 29 countries surveyed, according to a study conducted amongst others
by the
Kauffman Centre, IBM and the London Business School. New Zealand's vibrant
independent business culture composed of start-up companies and moonlighting
employees is responsible for the ranking. The NZ leg of the research was carried
out by Howard Frederick and Peter Carswell of Unitec's Centre
for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
(12 November 2001)

Talking turkey
New Zealand farmer's groups are a model of co-operation in preparing for the
ups and downs of the agricultural sector.
(15 June 2001)


Big cheese (and milk)
Taking on the world's
food ingredients multinationals, New Zealand farmers vote to merge NZ dairy Group and Kiwi Cooperative
Dairies to form Global Dairy Co., a company that will be the ninth largest dairy
company in the world generating 7% of New Zealand's GDP and 20% of annual
exports.
(19 June 2001)

Good lovin'
"Trust has to change to love. There should be an air of mystery, sensuality
and intimacy attached to the brand." Saatchi & Saatchi CEO and NZEDGE
co-founder Kevin Roberts spreads the loving word in Dubai.
(14 April 2001)

Spring sweet
New Zealand's sweet spring lambs come from the world's number one sheep
growing nation.
(10 April 2001)

US feels the edge
The US needs a fillip if it is to maintain inventiveness and compete with
up-and-coming centres of innovation like New Zealand.
(16 February 2001)


Frucor on the up
"One of last year's hot floats" in Australia, Frucor, makers of
headline energy drink V, have increased turnover by 55%.
(19 January 2001)

Kreme de la Kreme
New Zealander Donald Henshall is the new president of international
development for Krispy Kreme, makers of President Clinton's favourite doughnuts.
(29 December 2000)
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Twomey triumphs
Artistic director of the New Zealand International Arts Festival Lissa Twomey
has "put together a triumphant programme of calculated risk-taking".
Guided by her long experience with the Sydney Festival and her now shrewd
understanding of the New Zealand audience, Twomey's thinking outside the box was
not just a guiding principle but a leitmotif for the 24-day festival.
Australian-born Twomey says Wellington is a good city for a festival because it
is culturally vibrant and a part of life for those living there. This year's
festival, which runs from February 26 through March 21, features the acclaimed
Sutra, which unites Shaolin monks and a Western dancer, and which was rated the
best dance production in 2009 by a European leading dance magazine. Asked by
Wellington's local newspaper The Wellingtonian how long it takes to put
together a festival, Twomey replied: "You're always working on it. I'm already talking to agents about
the 2012 festival." Twomey lives in the capital's suburb of Thorndon.
(4 March 2010)


Top of the world
Air New Zealand has been named Airline of the Year, with judges of the Air
Transport World magazine awards, "amazed and surprised at the degree of
innovation that was occurring at a remote relatively small airline on the edge
of the world". Judges said the airline won for its commitment to safety and
operational excellence and groundbreaking customer service that combined
passenger-friendly check-in technologies with caring staff. Air New Zealand had
also maintained a "sterling financial performance" during one of the
most turbulent periods in aviation history while also leading the way in
environmental initiatives, including making the world's first flight using a
sustainable biofuel. Chief executive Rob Fyfe and a delegation of 10
top-performing staff are due to collect the award in Singapore on February
1.
(15 January 2010)
 
Success at boiling point
Fahrenheit 212 co-founder and CEO Geoff Vuleta leans back in his chair and muses
thoughtfully about his native New Zealand. "There's a lawn at Oxford with a
sign on it that clearly says, 'Don't walk on the grass," he says. "And
at 18, every kid in New Zealand goes off to England and walks on that grass. We
all do, and I certainly did." While it may not be immediately clear how
this is even remotely relevant, spend a few hours at Fahrenheit and hearing this
sort of quirky New Zealand wisdom becomes positively routine; the tenets of
Vuleta's scrappy island upbringing inform just about every aspect of the
company. And that means the entire staff walks on the grass for a living. There
doesn't seem to be a recession on at the Manhattan "innovation
consultancy". New York-based Fahrenheit 212 has made a thriving business
out of solving other companies' innovation problems, companies such as: Procter
& Gamble, Coca-Cola, Hershey, Samsung Electronics, Starbucks and Gucci
Group. To understand Fahrenheit 212, you've got to start with Ernest Rutherford:
New Zealand lore tells us that when native son Rutherford, known today as the
father of nuclear physics, split the atom in 1917, an American journalist asked
him how he — someone from a South Pacific backwater — did what so many
European and American thinkers could not. He famously replied, "We didn't
have the money, so we had to think." This fundamental principle of Kiwi
thinking has never been more apropos. "What gets in the way of
transformation," Vuleta says, "is money." And now that it's in
short supply, his 25 person company is doing better than ever. Because, believe
it or not, recessions may be just the time to make it in corporate America.
Geoff Vuleta founded Fahrenheit 212 as part of Saatchi & Saatchi in the USA
before taking the company independent.
(16 December 2009)


Model of all things
"People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish
extraordinary things." So said the mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary. In the
pursuit of the extraordinary, the dean of private business school INSEAD Frank
Brown has always believed a business leader and a mountaineer share certain
traits. In order to succeed and reach their goals, both must be determined,
focused, brave, sceptical and understand the importance of teamwork.
"Hillary, the man who conquered Everest in 1953, was a leader and innovator
who was inspired by the idea of adventure," Brown continues. "He was a
real model for our leaders of tomorrow. But it's the fact that Hillary remained
modest and responsible towards society and the environment that makes him
inspirational to today's business leaders. As the dean of a business school, it
is my job to mould tomorrow's leaders; leaders who not only want to develop
viable businesses but who also genuinely want to contribute to a better society.
For me, Edmund Hillary is a model of all these things."
(4 December 2009)


Power to the people
Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Worldwide and nzedge.com co-founder, Kevin Roberts,
appeared in an interview with Alixis Glick on FOX Business during
the recent World Business Forum at Radio City Hall in New York, talking about
the power shift from brands to people and his predictions for the advertising
industry in 2010. "It's been tough this year … like everybody else
consumers are feeling a recession. There are reframing and resetting their lives — so I would say there will probably be 10-11% drop in ad spend," said
Roberts. "Next year will be flat for the ad guys, and we'll see money
moving into screens — TV, the Internet, mobile — and away perhaps from
newspapers and magazines, as you see consumers interact more with screens rather
than the more static media."
(07 October 2009)


Home in Iraq
New Zealand's family-run Atconz Real Estate Development will spend $100 million
on a housing development in Iraq's northern Kurdish region, near the regional
capital Erbil. Plans for the "New Azadi" project call for the creation
of 1565 houses ranging from modest, low-income homes to luxury villas. The
project, announced at Dubai's Cityscape property expo, also envisions schools, a
hotel, a supermarket and other facilities. Atconz chief executive Dean Michael
said Iraq is the biggest emerging market in the region and will be for the next
20 years. "We believe in partnership with the government investment
authorities in Iraq who have identified the need for 1.5 million new residential
units across the country," Michael said. Construction is expected to start
by the end of the year and to be completed in three years. Michael said the
company would look to expand to Basra and Najaf in the south of Iraq if
opportunities arose.
(5 October 2009)


Looking to the sun
New Zealand power company Meridian Energy Ltd has purchased a Californian-based
solar power facility Cleantech America for $8.1 million enabling the electricity
generator to explore the potential of solar power in New Zealand. "Hydro
has formed the backbone of our electricity supply for the best part of a
century, and we are now seeing wind taking an ever-increasing role," said
chief executive Tim Lusk. "It is a natural progression from there to start
looking seriously at how this country can harness its solar power
resources." The purchase also has the added benefit of "providing
Meridian a toehold" from which it will seek opportunities to invest in
renewable energy projects in the U.S., he said. Meridian is New Zealand's
largest state-owned electricity generator, accounting for about 30 per cent of
the total electricity generation. It operates hydro and wind generation projects
that supply around 200,000 residential and business customers in New
Zealand.
(19 August 2009)


On the rocks
Minus5 creator Craig Ling has opened another ice bar, this time in Stillwater,
Minnesota. "Patrons looking for something really cool will now be able to
don a parka and gloves and step into an 18-degree lounge where everything —
the walls, the seats, the tables, the sculptures, the bar and even the glasses
— is made of ice," explains the St Croix Valley Press. Ling built
his first ice bar in Auckland in 2002, based on the success of a Russian bar he
had there. Now Ling has ice bars in Auckland, Queenstown, Sydney, Gold Coast,
Las Vegas, Viseu in Portugal, and soon Canada. At 450 square feet, the one in
Stillwater was designed as a "portable igloo" to take around the
country, but Ling said he'll probably leave it in Minnesota for a while.
"It's not a freezer, it's completely different," Ling explained.
"We've got the engineering right."
(2 July 2009)


Something to be said
"What's curious about the relative health of the New Zealand banking system
is that it's dominated by four big Australian banks," writes The New
Yorker's James Surowiecki. "This seems to complicate the oft-floated
argument that having a financial system dominated by big banks necessarily leads
to regulatory capture or excessive risk-taking. All four, while suffering from
the effects of the current recession, are firmly profitable, and, more
important, have avoided most of the big bad bets that other international banks
made."
(18 May 2009)


Safe appointment
New Zealand-born businessman, David Thodey, 54, has been appointed the new chief
executive of Australia's Telstra Corporation, taking over the role from
controversial out-going head, Solomon Trujillo. Thodey, who has been with
Telstra since 2001, was previously head of the group's business and government
customer divisions. Telstra is looking to a more positive relationship with the
Federal Government after appointing Thodey and new chairman Catherine
Livingstone, who they hope will steer the telco giant through tough markets and
threats to some of its revenue lines. Thodey is also the chairman of
TelstraClear in New Zealand and chairman of Basketball Australia.
(20 May 2009)


Hot competition
Blenheim-based company Carbonscape
— one of only five companies to make the shortlist in the Financial Times
global Climate Change Challenge — makes charcoal from biomass for the
sequestration of carbon using industrial microwaves. According to Carbonscape's
webpage "Each industrial-scale unit converts 40–50 per cent of wood
debris into charcoal; one tonne of carbon dioxide can be fixed as charcoal per
day. By converting carbon in organic material to charcoal, it can be then put
into the ground where it does the most good." The New Republic
writes, that "it's possible to create charcoal by heating the biomass in
conventional ovens, but using microwaves improves the efficiency of the process,
allowing up to 50 percent of the starting biomass to be converted to
charcoal." Carbsonscape director Vicki
Buck says all of New Zealand needs to get behind the company with their
votes to be in with a chance of winning. "If we manage to bring home the
prize for New Zealand it will cap off a fast-paced year for Carbonscape,"
Buck says. Climate Change Challenge winner will be announced in April.
(26 March 2009)


Dishwashing debut
Founder of Ecostore Aucklander Malcolm Rands has put his
household cleaning product range on the shelves in U.S. chain Meijer Inc.'s 185
stores in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Rands wants to move
the production from New Zealand to Michigan for products sold at Meijer stores.
"We are looking hard to find the right factory. The premises have to be
eco-friendly," Rands said. Ecostore was hatched in 1993 as mail order
business, when Rands and his wife, Melanie, began mixing soaps and detergents
for organic gardeners like themselves from their home in a town near Auckland.
Last year, he raised the capital to enter the U.S. market by licensing the brand
to investors but continues to manage the brand. Ecostore also exports to
Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea.
(2 March 2009)


Bald and branded
Air New Zealand's recent "billboard cranium" marketing stunt has been
applauded by American Peter Shankman, author of Can We Do That?! Outrageous
PR Stunts That Work for their "Tom Sawyer handing out
paintbrushes" approach. Terry Gardner, 50, a legal secretary in California,
was among 30 people who shaved their heads for an advertising campaign by the
airline, which hired people to display a temporary henna tattoo saying:
"Need A Change? Head Down to New Zealand. www.airnewzealand.com." For
shaving their noggins and displaying the ad copy for two weeks in November 2008,
they received either a round-trip ticket to New Zealand (worth about $1,200) or
$777 in cash (an allusion to the Boeing 777, a model in the airline's fleet).
Gardner, whose hair has grown to crewcut length since she shaved it for the
airline promotion, said some people at the time asked whether the tattoo on her
head was permanent. "I said, 'Are you kidding?' I might be crazy, but I'm
not nuts."
(17 February 2009)


Flying high
Air New Zealand has made a bold move into the world of sustainability, becoming
the first commercial airline to fly using an alternative fuel made from the
jatropha plant. The airline recently conducted a two-hour test flight, blending
the fuel with conventional jet fuel, and using it to power one of four engines
on a Boeing 747. CEO Rob Fyfe hailed the project as an industry milestone.
"Today we stand at the earliest stages of sustainable fuel development and
an important moment in aviation history," he said. The jatropha plant has
been noted by Goldman Sachs as one of the most viable candidates for biodiesel
and alternative fuels, with each plant producing 30 to 40 percent of its own
mass in oil. The hardy nature of the plant, as well, renders it capable of
growing in sandy, saline, or otherwise infertile soil. Given the success of the
flight, the airline will be working with its partners to push for the approval
of jatropha fuel as a certified aviation fuel. Air New Zealand is the second
airline to test alternative fuels in flight, following Virgin Atlantic's test of
a Coconut Oil and Babassu Nut Oil blend in February. The International Air
Transport Association wants all of its members to use 10 percent alternative
fuels by the year 2017.
(30 December 2008)


Northern expansion
Wellington clothing company Icebreaker
has engaged a distributor in Germany, Sweden and Norway, having also opened its
first Eastern European sales and marketing office in the Czech Republic earlier
this year. The new company, called Icebreaker Pure Merino GmbH, will be based in
Starnberg, Germany. The acquisition in Europe is Icebreaker's second of the year
and continues the company's growth strategy in Europe, which is now responsible
for 30 per cent of the company's worldwide business. Icebreaker has its North
American headquarters in Portland. Icebreaker was launched in 1994 and was the
first company in the world to develop a merino wool layering system for the
outdoors. It was also the first outdoor apparel company in the world to source
merino direct from growers, a system began in 1997.
(8 December 2008)


Mail man has role in US
Former New Zealand Post CEO and Royal Mail executive deputy chairman Elmar Toime
has been appointed to American online postal service Earth Class Mail
Corporation's board of advisors. Toime — who also led the establishment of
full-service retail bank, Kiwibank Ltd., as a subsidiary of New Zealand Post —
is currently an independent advisor to the postal sector, and brings to Earth
Class Mail a track record of innovation in mail-services diversification and
national-post management. CEO of Earth Class Mail Ron Wiener said: "Very
few executives within the postal industry are afforded the global recognition
and respect that Mr Toime is." "Earth Class Mail shows a new and
original future for an industry that has had a tradition of innovation,"
said Toime, "from invention of the humble postage stamp to the creation of
telecommunications infrastructure."
(14 November 2008)


Fonterra’s melamine nightmare
Criminal contamination of the milk supply chain in China embroiled New Zealand’s
largest commercial organization Fonterra in a crisis that left four babies dead
and 3,000 still in hospital. An estimated 54,000 children were poisoned after
consuming milk formula tainted with the waste chemical melamine, which was added
to raw milk to increase protein content. Official delays in recalling product
and informing the public compounded the human dimensions of this crisis.
Fonterra is the world’s largest dairy exporter, responsible for more than a
third of international dairy trade. It has written down its 43% investment in
Chinese dairy brand Sanlu, and donated $8.4 million to set up a rural healthcare
project. Several inquiries are underway to ensure this never occurs again.
Commentators have drawn lessons for New Zealand exporters.
(27 October 2008)


UK role for Sinclair
Former Auckland Airport chief financial officer Robert Sinclair has been
appointed chief executive at Bristol International Airport. In Auckland,
Sinclair oversaw a four-year investment programme in expansion, including
runways, terminals, car parks and roads. Of his new role in the UK Sinclair
said: "I am excited to have this opportunity to work with the airport
management team and staff of BIA. My focus will be to build on the strong
foundations already in place, further enhance the passenger experience, provide
excellent services to our airline customers and work with North Somerset Council
and other stakeholders to grow the airport in a sustainable way." Sinclair
has a background in investment banking and law.
(5 October 2008)


Pests transformed
New Zealand possum fur is being imported by Portland-based company Eco-Luxury
which produces throws, cushions and bedspreads, "for all of the luxury and
none of the guilt." On a trip to New Zealand, owner Chrys Hutchings'
husband gave her a fur bedspread, and the idea of using possum fur in the home
was born. Possums chomp their way through 20,000 tons of vegetation, and are
threatening indigenous plants and animals, including the endangered kiwi.
"Fur is sustainable, recyclable, biodegradable," says Hutchings.
Others, such as Possum NZ, a company run by Teresa Angliss, have already started
making hats, scarves and gilets from possum fur. An easier approach is thought
to be possum wool, where the fur is woven into merino wool to create a fibre
called MerinominkTM. It's being used to make jumpers by the New Zealand company
Untouched World.
(18 September 2008)


Hill moves into the US
Michael Hill International (MHI) has purchased 17 stores in the American cities
of Chicago and Missouri for a sum of US$5.5 million (NZ$8.1 million).
"Chicago is a good market for a newly arrived retailer, partly because of
the geographic time overlaps between Chicago and Australasia and because Chicago
is a non-coastal, dense, sophisticated metropolitan hub that a lot of retailers
consider a good mix," said Chris Ellis, a partner with Boston-based
investment banking firm Consensus Advisors, which is representing Michael Hill
in the United States. The Michael Hill jewellery company operates 210 stores in
New Zealand, Australia and Canada. Michael Hill opened the company's first store
in Whangarei, in 1979.
(23 August 2008)


Snug as a bug
Merino Kids founder Amie Nilsson designed the award-winning Cocooi Babywrap with
biblical swaddling in mind, keeping babies safely on their back and asleep
longer. Swaddling creates a slight pressure around the baby's body that is said
to give it a sense of security, because it mirrors the pressure it would have
felt in the womb. Made of pure merino, the wool absorbs and releases moisture
away from the baby in warm conditions and insulates it when the temperature
drops. Merino Kids has won two International Forum (iF) Product Design awards
for the Babywrap and the Go Go Bag. In an interview with Idealog magazine
Nilsson
said the awards mean the product changes from being just a national product to
an international product. "It changes the level completely and it opens
doors every day," she said. The company now sells in more than 50 boutique
baby stores in Europe, Australasia and the US.
(17 July 2008)


Jennings backs Russia
Waitara-born Stephen
Jennings, CEO of the leading investment bank in Russia and sub-Saharan
Africa Renaissance Group, believes that in the coming decades "the world's
largest businesses will be from new world economies and the world's most
influential businesspeople will be Russian, Chinese, Indian and African. New
world investment funds will dwarf their Western counterparts." In light of
RenCap's growing role in Russia and many other emerging markets, Russia Blog
decided to publish two background articles about its co-founders, Stephen
Jennings and Alexei "Boris" Jordan. Potentially the wealthiest
foreigner residing in the Russian Federation, Jennings spends more than
two-thirds of his time in Africa, according to trade publication the Banker,
and has plans to open offices in Nigeria, Kenya and Dubai. Consultant for the
New Zealand Business Round Table Bryce
Wilkinson says that Jennings's rise to the top of international finance
deserves bouquets: "It's a phenomenal story of incredible achievements by
an unassuming Kiwi," Wilkinson says. "And he's still
going."
(17 June 2008)


Chocolate carbon credits
New Zealand graphic designer Giles Barker and his wife, trained chef Vanessa
Kettelwell established confectionary company Bloomsberry
& Co in 2001 and already they've have had their chocolate bars whipped
out "from under their noses and suddenly they're all over the world."
Bloomsberry chocolates had been selling trendy, tongue-in-cheek chocolate bars
with a conscience in the United States for less than two years when they were
approached by Whole Foods to develop Climate Change Chocolate. Marketed as the
"first taste of a lower-carbon lifestyle," Bloomsberry donates 55
cents from each bar to TerraPass to pay for 133 pounds of carbon offsets, which
is the average American's daily carbon impact. "We've sold enough in the
first quarter that it's comparable to taking 900 cars off the road for a
year," said Kerry Laramie, vice president sales and marketing for
Bloomsberry's US division.
(6 June 2008)


Corporate iwi unite
Divided into four tribes: kea, ruru, tui, and weka, 200 employees of US firm
Seagate Technologies face the elements in the mountains above Queenstown in a
week-long "mother of all of team-building events". CEO Bill Watkins
spends $2 million making his staff uncomfortable as a way to open their minds,
helping build a more collaborative, team-oriented company. "This week is
about you doing what you want to do for every week of the rest of your
life," Watkins explains to his hard drive engineers, who haka,
mountain-bike, kayak and orienteer their way to trust, commitment,
accountability, and results.
(21 May 2008)


Thank goodness for spreadable
One of the greatest inventions of all time, according to the New Zealand Post,
is New Zealand's spreadable butter, and the Telegraph's Bee Wilson agrees.
"If it weren't for the New Zealand Dairy Research Institute, I would still
be condemned to start each day in a bad mood, struggling to spread lumps of
fridge-cold butter on toast," Wilson writes. "Spreadable butter
therefore feels like a gift from a benign providence. When it was launched in
Britain in 1991 it was a hit, and is now so popular that butter sales are eating
into margarine's profits." Spreadable butter was developed in New Zealand
in the 1970s.
(20 April 2008)


All for a chat show
Twenty-two year old Christchurch design student Nick Lowe wants to raise $1
million on You Tube in the hope of millionaire-status and a spot on Ellen
Degeneres' talk show. This week Lowe passed the $1,000 mark by offering the
opportunity to advertise on 10,000 videos for $100 each. Nick set up mywebbybuddies.com
because he wanted to do something creative that would lead to fame and fortune.
"After covering the cost of my degree and travel expenses that may arise
from the interviews, I'd like to invest the rest for a secure future," Lowe
said.
(5 March 2008)


Windy farewell
Paddy Gillooly owns a tourism company in New Zealand which takes visitors by
jeep or all-terrain bus to the tip of the South Island's Farewell
Spit, one of only two companies permitted the sandy, and windy trip. Some
days it's like looking through a "curtain of sand" says Paddy.
"Only a mechanic could do this job," he says. That's because his
buses, which are continuously deluged by sand, salt water and mud, need constant
care. Farewell Spit is a protected area and still growing and changing, mostly
due to those strong winds.
(4 March 2008)


Quick sale
Two Yorkshire property developers are enthusiastic about the benefits of
investing in property in New Zealand; Ian Payling and Dave Rothwell-Wood built
the 'Lemon-Tree house' on land north of Auckland. Once the sale was agreed, the
two men made the first of three trips to New Zealand. On the first, they had 20
meetings in eight days, got their planning application in, found a builder and
pegged out the site. Payling said he couldn't imagine that happening in the UK.
"We also opened a bank account and secured a loan within a day to pay the
builders' costs," he said. New Zealand has much to recommend to overseas
buyers. It has a robust economy, with no capital gains tax, stamp duty or estate
duty and no overseas ownership restrictions for residential property.
(23 February 2008)


B_E_E on global radar
NZ's eye-catching B_E_E products featured
in global style authority Monocle this month. Based in Auckland, B_E_E
(Beauty Engineered for Ever) produces high quality cleaning products that are as
easy on the eye as they are on the environment. Monocle: "BEE makes
environmentally and graphically sound cleaning products, all from its base in
New Zealand. Though made from natural cleaning agents and essential oils,
they're super strong. The washing up liquid is twice as powerful as the leading
brand on the market."
(November 2007)


Halo helmed by NZ boy genius
This year's most hyped video game, Halo
3, was engineered by a former child prodigy from Kakanui. Chris Butcher, 29,
works for Seattle-based gaming company Bungie,
which produces the Halo series for Microsoft Xbox. In its first week of release,
Halo 3 achieved $US300 million in global sales and became the fastest selling
video game in history. Its lead engineer, Chris Butcher, began studying sixth
form maths, calculus, chemistry and statistics at the age of eight and, by age
nine, was writing his own computer games. He left high school at 16 to attend
Otago University and, at the completion of his science PhD, was snapped up by
Bungie. "There's really few people in the world that can say that they are
really happy and they love what they do and they have a chance to affect the
world in some small way," he said in a recent NZPA interview. "It's
possible that in some point in the future I'll end up deciding that I want to do
something else besides games and who knows what that will be, but I'm really
enjoying coming to work every day and focusing on my craft and working with the
people I get to work with here. I feel very privileged."
(24 September 2007)


Air NZ in pioneering partnership
Air New Zealand has signed an agreement with airplane maker Boeing and engine
maker Rolls-Royce to collaborate on projects to make commercial aviation more
environmentally sustainable. Stage one of the plan will see the first trial
flight of a Boeing 747 partly run on biofuel by early 2009. "Air New
Zealand is keen to encourage research into alternative fuels and wants to work
hand-in-hand with industry partners and the New Zealand government on promoting
this type of activity," said Air New Zealand Chief Executive Rob Fyfe. The
NZ government, which has just announced an ambitious environmental plan of its
own, has welcomed news of the Air New Zealand partnership. "Achieving Air
New Zealand's plan to become the most environmentally responsible airline will
put New Zealand further along its path to becoming the first truly sustainable
country in the world," said Climate Change and Energy Minister David
Parker.
(28 September 2007)


Benchmark branding
A leading Korean trade group is using NZ as a benchmark for competitive
national branding. Research by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency
(KOTRA) has shown the long-term effectiveness of NZ's "100% Pure New
Zealand" and "New Thinking New Zealand" slogans, and the group is
now urging that a similar approach be taken in Korea. "If some of New
Zealand's methods were applied to our national branding, it would help sharpen
our competitive edge as well," said So Byung-taek, divisional director of
KOTRA. According to KOTRA's research, visitors to NZ have increased by 53 per
cent since the "100% Pure" campaign was launched in 1999, and 2003's
"New Thinking New Zealand" slogan has significantly boosted exports
such as screw cap wines.
(10 September 2007)


Influential exports
Two New Zealanders made The Bulletin's annual list of the 50 most
influential businesspeople in Australia. Fairfax Media Chief Executive David
Kirk is ranked fifteenth on the list. The former All Black Captain has headed
the publishing giant, which owns The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald
and The Australian Financial Review, since 2005. According to The
Bulletin, his aim is "to transform Fairfax into a fully integrated
digital media publishing business". Former Air NZ Chief Executive Ralph
Norris is listed in twenty-second place. Norris is now CEO of the Commonwealth
Bank, where he oversees the fortunes of 710,000 shareholders and over AU$425
billion in assets. The Bulletin's Most Influential list is topped by
Frank Lowy (Westfield Group), James Packer (PBL) and Michael Chaney (National
Australia Bank, Woodside).
(25 September 2007)


Hong Kong follows NZ's lead
Hong Kong sees NZ as a role model for renewable energy and environmental
technology, according to its government's website. "New Zealand is renowned
for its high environmental standards and its use of new technologies to protect
the environment," said Chief Executive Donald Tsang. "Hong Kong can
learn much from New Zealand's record in this regard and that also translates to
business opportunities for New Zealand companies in our city and elsewhere in
Asia." Tsang was recently in NZ, where he visited a state-of-the-art water
treatment facility in Auckland.
(12 September 2007)


A NZ space odyssey
A NZ company has plans to launch rockets
into space, carrying scientific packages, DNA and human ashes. Auckland-based Rocket
Lab, co-directed by Peter Beck and Mark Rocket, will start sending its
17-foot carbon-fiber "Atea" rockets spaceward in September 2008.
"New Zealand has the know-how to be part of the global space
industry", says Rocket, an internet entrepreneur who changed his name from
Mark Stevens by deed poll. Rocket Lab has already signed a deal with American firm
Celestis to send human ashes into space.
(14 August 2007)


Tee king
New Zealander Glenn Jones has won the US-based Threadless t-shirt design
competition a record 17 times. Jones, the creative director at Auckland's
Dashwood Design studio, gets regular fan e-mail and has been featured on the
cover of the NZ's ProDesign magazine as the "King of the Tees".
Founded in 2000, the Threadless website allows users to vote on t-shirt designs
submitted from all over the world. The winning designs are printed and sold in
batches of 1500, and earn their creators US $2000. Threadless has been hailed as
a prime example of the growing shift in consumer control from experts to the
masses.
(8 July 2007)


Jeweller finds Wonderland in NZ
British jeweller Alice Hughes has created a range of bespoke pieces inspired by
NZ plants and sea life. She established Alice in Wonderland Jewellery in 2004
after undertaking an apprenticeship in NZ, where she worked with NZ jewellers
Ray Mitchell and Peter Elsbury. Mitchell found international fame after
designing the "One Ring" for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings
trilogy. "When I arrived in New Zealand I was overwhelmed by the
nature," says Hughes. "I found it really energising and the whole idea
of combining the natural elements with jewellery really came together in my
mind." Hughes now runs jewellery house parties in her home town of
Liverpool, selling her pieces directly to customers: "I always turn up with
a couple of bottles of New Zealand wine which is always a help, too."
(20 June 2007)


Sellaband springboard for NZ rapper
Christchurch rapper Maitreya has found international fame through sellaband.com,
a new social networking site for entrepreneurial music lovers. Sellaband allows
users to buy "shares" in acts they think have the potential for major
chart success. When the amount invested in an act reaches the US $50,000 mark,
Sellaband helps the musician record and globally release a studio album, the
sales of which benefit the "believers" (fan investors). Maitreya, now
based in New York, was sixth artist to break through the $50,000 barrier and is
currently recording his debut album - One
Love and Light.
(9 June 2007)


Lord of the Rigs honoured in NZ
Wade
Thompson, US-based chairman, president and CEO of the world's largest
recreation vehicle company, is to receive an honorary Doctor of Commerce degree
from Victoria University. Thompson, 66, completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree
at Victoria in 1962 before gaining a Master of Science in Retailing from New
York University in 1965. His remarkable business career in America involved
turning a tiny RV (recreation vehicle) company into the largest in the world.
Thompson's Thor Industries now has
over 9,000 employees in 29 plants across the US. Last year, the company had
sales of more than US$3 billion and a net income of $164 million. Thompson
was featured on the cover of Forbes magazine as "Lord of the Rigs" in
2004; the same year he supported and appeared in Open Road, an educational
documentary featuring Thor Industries. "[Thompson's] career demonstrates
what can be achieved with a combination of intellectual acuity, unflinching
integrity, dogged persistence and economic discipline," says Victoria
University Vice-Chancellor Pat Walsh.
(15 May 2007)


The Rings effect continues
NZ features in a new weekly video series on international branding practices by
British marketing guru Martin Lindstrom. In Altering the Brand of a Country: How
Movies Hurt Columbia and Help New Zealand, Lindstrom investigates the positive
impact on global perceptions of NZ caused by films such as the Lord of the Rings
trilogy. "One need look no further than ... New Zealand to understand how
motion pictures have become the most potent marketing force for a country
brand," reads Lindstrom's program guide on Adage.com.
(21 May 2007)


Clean, pure, natural cosmetics to France
NZ cosmetics companies Trilogy, Skinfood, Art a Face, Living Nature and
Antipodes have presented their ranges to 50 French retailers and beauty
journalists at the NZ ambassador's residence in Paris. The May 14 breakfast
event received a strong response, according to NZ's ambassador to France, Sarah
Dennis. "New Zealand beauty brands differentiate themselves in this market,
built on the image of a clean and pure environment and high quality natural
ingredients," she said. Some of the cosmetics companies' products are
already available at Paris's high-end Printemps department store, as well as in
specialist skin-care outlets. The French fact-finding and promotional tour was
organised by NZ Trade and Enterprise (NZTE).
(15 May 2007)


The sweet sound of success
NZ company Marshall Day
Acoustics has won the contract to design a $400 million concert hall in
Paris. Marshall Day, together with French architect Jean Nouvel, beat 97
international design teams for the chance to design la Philharmonie de Paris.
"Every architect and acoustician of note in the world was vying for this
project," says Christopher Day, Principal at Marshall Day Acoustics.
"To be short listed was a thrill - to win the design competition was
really quite special." The City of Paris has been planning a new concert
hall for 20 years. Construction on la Philharmonie de Paris, which will
comprise a major concert hall, two medium size rehearsal rooms, several
smaller practice rooms, a foyer, cafe and library, is expected to begin in
2009 and be completed by 2012.
(19 May 2007)


New era in online advertising
NZ internet entrepreneurs Firstlight are emerging as world leaders in online
advertising with their Editorial Related Advertising (E|R|A) programme. With
offices in Bangalore (content support), New York (sales) and Wellington
(research and development), Firstlight have developed what is now considered the
leading contextual advertising solution on the internet. Publishing heavyweight
Forbes.com has been one of the early adopters of the technology. New Zealander
Brett Bailey, co-founder and director of Firstlight, describes ERA as a “unique,
smart and cutting edge solution that gives publishers the ability to provide
contextual advertising to their existing advertiser base, using extremely
accurate non keyword technology.” The advantages of Editorial Related
Advertising ensure quality targeted linking to editorial content and is intended
to compliment rather than compete with other keyword related advertising
products.
(5 March 2007)


Morgan trades up
TradeMe founder Sam Morgan was profiled in the February issue of Australian
Financial Review Boss magazine. In 1999, the then 23-year-old Wellingtonian
launched NZ's e-commerce success story, which was recently purchased by Fairfax
for $AU 625 million. Morgan's share was $AU 197 million, he continues to run the
company. His advice to budding online entrepreneurs is to learn code, keep a
tight rein on finances and not to bother with advertising until the website is
truly established. Initial marketing should be done by word of mouth.
"There is no joy of discovery when you find a product through being
advertised to," he says. "When did you last tell someone how cool Coke
was?" Morgan hopes to gradually phase himself out of TradeMe and put his
earnings into a venture capital fund to invest in NZ businesses. "I just
get bored kind of easily," he says. "I'd like to be backing companies
where there are people working hard like I did." TradeMe currently has 1.2
million members, hosts 35 million auctions per year and includes property, car,
job, flat-hunting and web-dating facilities.
(February 2007)


Australian foothold for TrustPower
NZ company TrustPower has
won a NZ$200 million contract to build a wind farm in Snowtown, South Australia.
Construction of the 42-turbine plant begins on the Hummocks and Barunga ranges
in April. "Over time, for TrustPower generally, the New Zealand market is
going to be limited," says chief executive Keith Tempest. "The process
for us is to gradually, not quickly or aggressively, develop our experience and
expertise in the Australian market." The Snowtown wind farm will provide
electricity for around 60,000 South Australian homes.
(14 January 2007)


Try before you buy
NZ company Ruatuna has attracted the
attention of global business trend-spotting website Springwise. A joint venture
between design company Sustainable Structures and construction firm Straw Built
Homes, Ruatuna is essentially a show-home with a twist. Potential customers can
book a night's accommodation in one of the company's straw bale homes - kids and
pets included - to get a hands-on appreciation of the design. Springwise calls
the novel practice tryvertising: "They can test-drive a car - why not a
test-live a home? It will be interesting to see if this catches on with
traditional home developers and extends to other big-purchase industries,
especially those introducing new (or revived) technologies."
(November 2006)


Another Webby for Edge
Exponents Tourism NZ's consumer website newzealand.com,
designed by Shift, has won the Webby
award for best tourism website in the world for a second time. Known as the
Oscars of the internet, the Webbys are managed by the International Academy of
Digital Arts and Sciences. Previous winners in the tourism section include the
New York Times, Expedia and Lonely Planet. "Newzealand.com has won several
NZ-based website awards in the past but a second Webby recognises the
international calibre of their online work," says Tourism Minister Damien
O'Connor. "The tourism world is highly competitive, and this new award
shows how sophisticated and cutting-edge NZ's marketing is."
(13 June 2006)

Wellington a global talent magnet
A Cato Unbound essay by Richard Florida - The Future of the American Workforce
in the Global Creative Economy - uses the Peter Jackson led Wellington film
studios as an example of "a profound shift in the nature of global
competition." According to Florida, America not only has to contend with
the looming economic giants of India and China, but with cutting edge creative
"IQ magnets" such as Wellington, Taipei, Amsterdam and Melbourne.
"As we walked past a wall map with pins showing the Weta studio workers'
native countries, the head of digital animation joked that the organization
looked more like the U.N. than a film studio," he writes. "Jackson
told me his key lure was to offer exciting, challenging work with a secure
future in a city with abundant natural beauty, affordable housing, and an
outstanding quality of life for people of nearly every income
bracket."
(4 June 2006)


Asia-Pacific high flyer
New Zealander, now Singaporean resident Simon Israel has secured his place in
the upper echelons of Singapore's business community with his appointment as the
first non-Singaporean Director of state holding and investment agency Temasek.
Temasek's US $60 billion portfolio spans a wide range of industries, including
pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, property and biosciences. 52-year-old
Israel is also Asia-Pacific Chairman of French food and beverage conglomerate
Danone, Director of Singapore telecommunications company SingTel,
and Chairman of the Singapore Tourism Board. "[Simon] has a wealth of
marketing and investment experience in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as a
practitioner's knowledge of various consumer trends in Asia," said Temasek
Chairman S Dhanabalan.
(May 2006)


Craze hits new heights
Czech accountant Jana Tylova has won the inaugural sudoku world championships
held in Lucca, Italy. The Japanese game of logic has been popularised by NZ
judge-turned-entrepreneur Wayne Gould, whose syndicated games now appear in over
400 newspapers worldwide. Gould was on hand in Lucca to present the winner's
trophy.
(11 March 2006)


Pacific gateway Ia Orana!
Air Tahiti Nui is now offering stopovers in Auckland
and Tahiti for any direct flights between New York or LA and Sydney. Billed
as the first-ever non-stop service between New York and the South Pacific, the
package kicked off in summer 2005.
(February 2006)

The deal's not just big, it's Massive
New York based company, Massive Inc, of which Wellingtonian Claudia
Batten is a part owner, has been sold to Microsoft for up to $US 400
million. Founded four years ago, Massive Inc pioneered a form of software which
downloads advertising into online video games, providing advertisers with a
direct link to the "Lost Boys" market of 18-34 year old males.
Massive's software downloads dynamic advertising into background features of
gaming action - such as billboards and vending machines - whenever the user is
online. Massive clients include Coca Cola, Hollywood movie studios and
multinational car companies. Educated at Samuel Marsden and Victoria University,
Batten hopes to return to Wellington in the near future. "New York is a
tough city," she says in a NZ Herald interview. "Sometimes I feel like
a caveman who's knocked the beast on the head and dragged it home. And that's
just getting groceries."
(21 May 2006)


School of Rock
A music teaching program designed by
four Christchurch friends has taken off online, selling more than 10,000 copies
– mostly in the US - in just two years. Jamorama is a step by step guide to
learning guitar by ear, using video clips, educational computer games, jam
tracks, and a method for remembering chords devised by a university
psychologist. “I wrote Jamorama because I was fed up with the quality of the
guitar playing books on the market,” says Jamorama spokesman Ben Edwards, a
qualified teacher and former lead guitarist for Christchurch band Degrees.K.
Edwards and co-founders Mark Ling, David McKinnon and Jon Coursey plan to follow
up Jamorama with Bassorama, Drumorama, Rocketpiano and – eventually – a real
life rock school.
(18 August 2005)


Liddell goes for growth
Microsoft’s money man from Matamata is seeking
to revive the company’s stock price with a story of significant growth based
on a raft of new product releases. Chris Liddell says that Wall St is “starting
to see some tangible evidence of some of the innovation and investment that's
gone on the last few years. The pipeline of product releases over the next 12 to
18 months is probably the highest it's ever been in the company's history.”
CFO Liddell stated in his presentation
to the Financial Analyst Meeting on 28 July that “we intend to continue to
drive growth, we intend to continue to maximize the cash flow that we can get
from our businesses, and we intend to continue to aggressively invest in our
future, all of which has a view to driving shareholder value. The performance of
this company has been outstanding over the last five years, but we believe
there's no reason why the next five years won't be even better.” Asked how he
was planning to mesh with the Microsoft culture, Liddell said “It’s pretty
simple really. Be extremely good at what I do.” (August 15 2005)


Norris ready for take off
Ralph Norris is leaving the helm at Air NZ to return to banking as managing
director and CEO of Australia's Commonwealth Bank. Norris is credited with
turning Air NZ's fortunes around. "Air
NZ's financial position has never been stronger, with good liquidity and one of
the best balance sheets in the industry," says Air NZ chairman, John Palmer.
"Internationally, Air NZ is recognised as one of the recent success stories of
the airline industry." Sydney Morning Herald: "Still, you could do worse than a Kiwi. They know
everything. As they keep telling us."
(18 June 2005)

Woolly windfall
The NZ Merino Wool Company has won a 7
year contract valued at approximately $NZ40 million to supply U.S apparel
manufacturers SmartWool. SmartWool, whose chief business is in outdoor clothing
and accessories, recently signed a deal with Timberland to provide merino lining
for shoes and boots.
(13 April 2005)


Miles makes leap to big pond
Managing Director of Vodafone NZ, Tim Miles, is to head the $12 billion UK
branch from April 2005. According to the NZ Herald, Vodafone went from 1.08 million mobile subscribers in late 2001 to take the market lead from Telecom
with 1.83 million at the end of 2004. Miles sees his new job as a reflection of Vodafone NZ and what the whole business has achieved. It
also underlines the fact we are working in a truly global business with a readily
available pool of resource and talent. Vodafone UK has 15 million customers.
(7 February 2005)


Academia and industry united
Cambridge-MIT Institute
director,
NZer Michael J Kelly, speaks about the importance of combining
entrepreneurial and business skills with academic learning in the Guardian.
“Governments around the world realise that it shouldn't be left to chance as to
whether bright students, and indeed inventive academics, manage to get their
ideas out of the university laboratory and into the market place … [CMI’s]
intensive course for budding student entrepreneurs has resulted in several
businesses being launched by its alumni. It is seen as a key resource by
regional development agencies, which view university graduates as a prime source
for developing new businesses in their region.”
(11 May 2005)


Adman personified
“If you ever wanted to make a feature film about the advertising industry, the
adland equivalent of Broadcast News, there would be no contest on who
should get the starring role.” Worldwide Saatchi & Saatchi CEO and NZ Edge co-founder
Kevin Roberts is the subject of a lengthy Independent feature, in which
he explains the origin of Lovemarks, the future of supermarket shopping and
much, much more.
(13 December 2004)


Much love for Lovemarks
Tom Peters named Lovemarks: The Future Beyond Brands (written by Edge
co-founder Kevin Roberts) his Business Book of the Half-Decade, calling it “just
bloody brilliant.” Lovemarks also made
Amazon’s top ten business books of 2004, with the accompanying description:
“Lovemarks is an entertaining, elucidating, and ultimately inspiring
vision of the rejuvenation of brands through the power of love and the
responsibility of business to fulfill one of its key functions - to make the
world a better place.”
(12 November 2004)


For the Love of India
Bollywood heartthrob Shah Rukh Khan - recently hailed by Time magazine as
the biggest superstar in the world, with an audience share of 3.6 billion people
– launched Kevin’s Roberts’ book Lovemarks: The Future Beyond Brands at a
glittering gala in Mumbai. After reading passages from the book, King Khan
equated love with acting. ‘‘Acting is all about magnanimity. It’s about
giving, not taking. I have only one fundamental in life: that you can’t win an
audience unless you give. And it has worked for me.’’ With French,
Brazilian, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Chinese and Japanese editions in the works,
Lovemarks is becoming one the most widely published books by a New Zealander.
The HinduBusinessLine:
“Kevin Roberts has authored a well-written, delightfully produced, eminently
readable book. It makes a case for going into an emotional realm that transcends
mere brands. A realm where emotion rules, and to quote a neurologist, "the
essential difference between emotion and reason is that emotion leads to action
while reason leads to conclusions."
(15 October 2004)


Tycoon Teece
Berkeley Planet profiles David
Teece, the man dubbed an “economics rock star” by the NZ government and one of
the world’s top 50 business intellectuals by global management giant Accenture.
As well as advising PM Tony Blair on economic policy, founding Russia’s first
major league business school, owning Canterbury International apparel, founding
the large global firm the Law and Economic Consulting Group, and establishing and funding the Kiwi Expat
Association for professional experts, the Nelson native holds the Mitsubishi
Bank Chair in International Business and Finance at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of
Business and directs its Institute of Management, Innovation and Organization.
(6 August 2004)

Good morning Iraq
NZ company, Argent Networks, has won a
US$3.5 million deal to help rebuild Iraq's telecommunications infrastructure.
ArgentEclipse is to be the new customer billing system for the national
fixed-line network, which is owned by the Iraqi government.
Link has expired
(15 March 2004)


Down Under distillery on top
The international success of NZ’s
42BELOW vodka has dealt big brand owners “a hard lesson in what not to do when
wooing a global consumer tribe of super groovers with money to burn.” 42BELOW
has joined Grey Goose (France) and Ketel One (Holland) as an elite boutique
label, favoured by bar tenders and drinkers in the know around the world.
Founder Geoff Ross - a former Saatchi & Saatchi adman - attributes his company’s
success to savvy, subversive advertising and the age-old use of word-of-mouth
credibility. “If the big players work it out - and I don't think they will -
they're not culturally set up to do this," he says. "They can't execute a
slow-burn strategy. They need huge volumes tomorrow.”
(31 March 2004)

Inter-national Bank
Australia's ANZ Group has purchased the National Bank of NZ from Britain's
Lloyds TSB. The AU$5.4 billion deal is the largest takeover in the Asia-Pacific
this year, doubling ANZ's market share to make it NZ's biggest bank.
(25 October 2003)


Fairydown man enough for Hillary
NZ outdoor label, Fairydown, is to be re-named ‘Zone,’ after market research
revealed Australian men to be uncomfortable with the original tag’s effeminate
connotations. Sir Edmund Hillary, who used a Fairydown sleeping bag on his 1953
ascent of Everest, dismissed the concerns as absurd: “Reading that connotation
into the name is just absolutely stupid. It's a good brand. I have a Fairydown
jacket and I am very proud to wear it.” The Fairydown brand will remain unchanged in Aotearoa.
(18 September 2003)

Pooling resources
NZ's Fisher & Paykel Appliances has
formed a technology-sharing alliance with US white-ware company, Whirlpool
Corporation. Fisher & Paykel managing director, John Bongard, predicts
greater access to global markets to result from the union: "Whirlpool
offers us the benefits of global purchasing power and the strength of its global
technology development organization."
(11 August 2003)

Ringing up the profit
Telecom NZ has made a NZ$703 million net
profit for the past year, ending a four-year run of negative growth. The solid
progress comes despite a troubled foray into the Australian market.
(6 August 2003)


You have the right to remain nauseous
The smelly brainchild of Lower Hutt physicist Andrew
Rakich has become an indispensable item for the LA Police Department.
SkunkShot gel, originally sold in NZ to keep marauding dogs away from rubbish
bags, is now being used in the US as an alternative to mace, on drug dealers,
squatters and thieves. "It's an application I never dreamed of," says
Rakich, who is now selling his wares in Europe and Australia as well as online.
(30 May 2003)

Well-oiled
Tauranga-based company, Avocado
Oil New Zealand, has won a lucrative contract to supply Tesco - Britain's
leading supermarket chain. Avocado Oil New Zealand is a world-innovator in
cold-pressing and refining extra virgin avocado oil - which is becoming a staple of chefs and consumers alike.
(November-December 2002)

Gondwanaland Farming Co.
Trans-Tasman dairy giants Bonlac Foods (AUS) and Fonterra (NZ) have merged
consumer food lines to create a new company - Australasian Food Holdings Pty Ltd
(AFHL). AFHL will incorporate leading brands including Tip Top, Mainland,
Ferndale, and Cadbury Ice Cream in NZ, Australia & Oceania. Fonterra is the
major shareholder.
(1 July 2002)


Zespri patriotism
In a fascinating 2-part
feature the LATimes slices open the Kiwifruit and looks at the history of
NZ's No.1 horticultural product, from poor crop protection: "Even without a
patent, the trademark "kiwifruit," if copyrighted, could have become
the same kind of powerful marketing tool for NZ fruit growers that the term
Xerox is for the U.S. photocopier company", to innovative development
of the Zespri brand and efforts to stronghold the pioneering NZ industry: "They were
instrumental in introducing kiwifruit to the world and instrumental in getting
us started. They feel they have a unique position within the category and want
to capitalize on it."
(08 May 2002)

Land of milk and honey
The Scotsman reports on New
Zealand's "White Gold Rush" - the scramble by milk producers
to find new dairying land as world prices continue to rise, and the further impetus
given to the industry with the creation of NZ's "new, aggressive, global
co-operative", Fonterra.
(2 April 2002)

Triple bottom liners
Janet Street Porter gets down under with the
finer points of NZ culture, including food evangelist Dick Hubbard and the
socially conscious breakfast cereal. The Triple Bottom Line philosophy = the three Ps of People, Planet and
Profits. "He [Hubbard] likes that, especially the putting people first bit."
And Janet finds paradise lost as
news of Barrymore sneaking in for NZ rehab hits the local press and has her
asking whether nuke-free should be tabloid-free as well.
(10 February 2002)

Flooring the market
Forty-one companies, mainly from the US, confirm they will exhibit high-end Wools
of New Zealand branded carpets at Surfaces 2002. The giant US flooring trade
fair, which last year attracted more than 60,000 trade visitors from throughout
the world, is being held in Las Vegas.
(19 December 2001)

Milking size
Global Dairy Co. New Zealand's newly-formed giant dairy company looks to the
Australian industry for further expansion. Also, we want to be fifth
in the world, size-wise, says Global Dairy Company chairman John Roadley.
(19 June 2001)

Big dollar boys
New Zealand energy family the Todds become the first New Zealanders to
make the Forbes 500 list of the world's wealthiest people, coming in at 490 with
a net worth of US$1 billion.
(21 June 2001)


Donuts to the world
Krispy Kreme donut king, Kiwi Don Henshall talks cautious expansion for the
American icon.
(15 June 2001)

Altitude stable
A bit of turbulence on the ground, but Air New Zealand still makes the top ten
in the air.
(20 May 2001)

Still flying high
Air New Zealand continues its good run, ranking in the top ten international
airlines in a Zagat survey covering 31 500 flyers.
(1 April 2001)

Angst in Oz
Australian business needs a hurry-up: "...even the New Zealanders are
giving us a spanking in certain areas. Even the New Zealanders! Well I
never..."
(3 April 2001)
Packing their bags
Britain's agricultural troubles leaves farmers looking to New Zealand and
Australia for a fresh start.
(10 April 2001)

Foot gloves
More than 50% of mass-market shoes just aren't made to go on feet, but a
small New Zealand company is an oasis of comfort among the pinching, making shoes
that "fit like a glove".
(10 February 2001)

Playing in the big
league
Otago's Business School makes it into the Financial Times top 100 league.
(22 January 2001)

Who supervises the supervisors?
New Zealand economist Tim Hazledine detects over-supervision - a
proliferation in the ranks of "pseudo-managers monitoring their
underlings".
(16 December 2000)
Avalanche warning
IT staffing company Avalanche plans to open a branch in New Zealand. The
attraction? "English is a native language...and there is a first world
infrastructure".
(7 December 2000)
Milk flows south
Kiwi Milk, one of New Zealand's big dairy players, has swallowed Kaikoura
Co-operative Dairy Co. The merger will "assist with increased milk flows.
(20 November 2000)

NZ-edged NuTech
Matt
Michalewicz, 24, founder and CEO of NuTech Solutions Inc fled to New Zealand from his native Poland at age six.
He became "the only student I know of who drove to class every
day in a Corvette".
(16 November 2000)

Forbes gets a bargain
Forbes Global have included New Zealand company
The Warehouse Group in their
2000 list of Best Small Companies: "Dynamism is all about growth and
profits; in our opinion these 300 are among the best the world has to
offer."
(30 October 2000)

Genie
rubs up well
Genie
Systems' OrderWare is now running in 10 US Babies
R Us stores, and is set to fully installed by next year.
"Australasian software businesses have a unique style of
software, and therefore I think there are many opportunities for businesses from
Australia to participate in the North American marketplace," says Genie CEO
and co-founder Mike Hendry.
(28 August 2000)
Kiwi banker helps Bosnia rebuild
As the Bosnian economy struggles to recover from the ravages of war, its
citizens are struggling to accept the recovering local currency. "The most
telling detail on the new Bosnian currency is the signature on every note. It is
that of the governor of the Central bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who is,
bizarrely enough, a New Zealander." A Bosnian academic said: "We
need outsiders to run things because without them the fighting would start
again."
(1 August 2000)
Unsubsidised exuberance
New Zealand farmers are spreading the anti-subsidy word to Canuks: "We
were regarded as leeches in society. Now we take our place. We've earned the
respect of society," says Fed. Famers' Pres. Alistair Polson in
Ottawa.
(16 November 2000)

Brickwork Brierley
"It was a scene from yesteryear. Sir Ron Brierley, armour dusted off and
polished and gauntlet raised, charged into the battle..."
(6 November 2000)

New Zealand farmers have a talent rare in agriculture they dont
whinge.
"But they might allow themselves a slight grouse about the billions of
dollars of euros, dollars and yen paid out in subsidies elsewhere as their
efficient modern industry faces the challenges of the future".
(17 April 2000)

NZ company to introduce CNG to Pakistan
Lahore: Prescon Technology Company, of New Zealand, has announced to
introduce state-of-the-art technology-based compressed natural gas (CNG) filling
stations in Pakistan.
(8 April 2000)
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