NZ and Taiwan ‘on track’ for trade agreement
New Zealand’s top trade official in Taiwan, Stephen Payton, told the Taipei Times that the two countries are ‘ on track’ to ink a trade pact that will leave people ‘impressed’. Taiwan and New…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Fonterra to launch infant milk formula in China
New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra will enter China’s ‘lucative branded infant formula market’ in mid-2013, according to the Straits Times. Fonterra also plans to build its own China milk processing plant in 2014-2016. …
10,000 NZ light bulbs help the Cook islands become energy efficient
The Cook Islands wants to generate 100% of its energy supply from renewable sources by 2020. Encouraging the more efficient use of existing energy resources is a vital part of this transition. Recently, Te…
Shot at Movieland
The New Zealand company behind Queenstown’s Shotover and Hukafalls jet boat tours is collaborating with Italy’s theme park Movieland in Verona to create a one-of-a-kind ride with a theme based on the…
Leader of the Pack at Google
New Zealander Craig Nevill-Manning, Google’s engineering director in Manhattan, was the impetus behind the company’s decision to hire a cadre of engineers in New York, and he led an exodus to Chelsea from what…
Stirring Up the US Market
“Challenging older, slower companies is all in a day’s work to many technology start-ups – and nowhere more so than in New Zealand,” says dual Canadian/New Zealand citizen Andrew Ferrier, currently the chair of New…
PNG an ‘exciting economic opportunity’ for NZ
‘Spectacular’ economic growth makes Papua New Guinea (PNG) an exciting economic opportunity for New Zealand, according to William Dihm, PNG High Commissioner to New Zealand, and Marion Crawshaw, NZ High Commissioner to Papua New…
NZ Companies Office promote private sector growth in the Pacific
Pacific Island delgates attended an Auckland workshop organised by the New Zealand Companies Office and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to develop and reform online/electronic business registries in the Pacific Islands, reports Islands Business….
Doing It for Themselves
“If you are a working woman, you would do well to move to New Zealand,” according to The Economist, who have compiled their own “‘glass-ceiling index’ to show where women have the best chance…
Cable Sector Reflections
“As Neil Berkett prepares to depart the stage, the man who has arguably been the most successful CEO in UK cable said he was immensely proud of what has been built at…
Empowering the People
Lyttelton’s Harbour Co-op, which features in the March issue of Monocle, is a company wholly owned by its customers. “While New Zealand has a strong history of co-operatives, a consumer-owned food-retail…
Keeping Friends and Influencing Nations
Sir Don McKinnon appeared on a BBC ‘Daily Politics’ segment arguing that the Commonwealth is a “pretty good investment” for Britain but it has not “always used it best”. The New Zealander was the…
Our Man at Facebook
New Zealander Vaughan Smith, 46, vice-president of mobile partnerships and corporate development at Facebook, was a speaker at the 2013 Mobile World Conference in Barcelona in late February. Smith’s session examined the pros and…
New Zealand Telcos Plan Fibre-optic Link with Australia
New Zealand’s telecommunications companies will build a new $60 million fiber-optic cable connecting New Zealand with Australia. Telecom, Vodafone and Telstra hope to finish the build by the end of 2014. The cable’s capacity…
NZ Police Get Tech Savvy
More than 6,000 New Zealand police officers are getting an iPhone, writes Louis Bedigian in Forbes. Almost 4000 of these officers will also receive an iPad. The deal is ‘the most lucrative Apple has…
Make Your Own Plane
New Zealander John Nicol is the founder of Makerplane, the first open source aviation organization allowing people to download its aeroplane plans for free. Canada-based Nicol says the use of home-based…
YouTube Whizz-kid
Corey Harris is a 16-year-old high school pupil from Kerikeri, who likes hanging out with his mates, gaming, photography and spending time on his computer. The bright-eyed teen with spiky hair is also New…
Tim Groser Favorite for WTO Director-General
London bookies Ladbrokes have named Tim Groser, New Zealand’s Trade Minister, ‘joint favourite’ to be the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) new Director-General. Mr Groser is at 3:1 to take out the top job, along…
From the Top and On Fire
New Zealander Victoria Ransom is chief executive of Wildfire, a provider of social media marketing software, which was acquired by Google last year. In an interview with Adam Bryant of The…
Networked Lab Rats
New Zealanders have become the Internet’s most beloved lab rats, according to Bloomberg Businessweek writer Ashlee Vance. New Zealand has a large enough population to adequately test products, and the population is self-contained. Last…
Dotcom Goes MEGA
From his home north of Auckland, former hacker and internet cult hero Kim Dotcom, tells the Guardian his eyes have been opened to US tactics after his Megaupload site was shut down last year….
Trading Black Gold
New Zealand is famous worldwide for its dairy exports, Sylvia Pfeifer writes for the Financial Times. “Its dairy industry generated $13.9bn in revenues in the year to March 2012. But now the government is…
It’s About Flying People
Air New Zealand chief executive Rob Fyfe is one of 20 people profiled in this month’s Monocle, in a feature which explores who “would be ideal collaborators.” “Make sure you know who to call…
Film Moving Economy
“For better or worse, Key’s government has taken extreme measures that have linked its fortunes to some of Hollywood’s biggest pictures, making this country of 4.4 million people, slightly more than the city…
Unexpected Tourism Drawcard
The international publicity from recent eruptions at Tongariro’s Te Maari crater may actually be helpful, according to local tourism operators. Te Maari crater erupted for about five minutes last week, emitting a plume of…
Change At the Top
Former AIA head New Zealander Mark Wilson, 46, has been appointed chief executive of Britain’s second-largest insurer, Aviva. Wilson ran AIA – the Asian arm of US insurer AIG – between 2006 and 2010….
Real and Unreal Worlds
“As the Wellington premiere of The Hobbit approaches, New Zealand’s picturesque landscapes are set to take centre stage once again,” Charles Anderson begins in a story for the International Herald Tribune. “Ten years ago,…
Magic Manifested
Hedge fund billionaire Julian Robertson Jr. first visited New Zealand in 1978 on a year-long sabbatical from his asset manager’s job at Kidder, Peabody. The year in New Zealand turned out to be fruitful….
Non-farmers Get Look In
“The only truly global New Zealand company, with annual revenue of almost $20 billion, Fonterra operates in 100 countries and has 10,500 farmer-owners,” The Economist writes. “Rabobank of the Netherlands ranks it the world’s…
Imagine the Growth
Growing ties between New Zealand and China are giving new optimism to everyone from coffee chains and jade producers to organic farmers, universities, tour operators and real estate brokers. The increasing number of Chinese…
Vertigo Top Yacht
New Zealand has won awards at the latest International Superyacht Society (ISS) Design Awards, held in Fort Lauderdale in Florida. The winner in the category ‘Sailing yacht 40m +’ was won by the ketch,…
Belief in Emerging Markets
Taranaki-born businessman Stephen Jennings, Renaissance chief executive, is one of the “world’s smartest money” affirming that the next big emerging market may be Africa. “It is the only region in the world where growth…
Fit for the Job
Former Gatorade president New Zealander Sarah Robb O’Hagan has taken on the same role at Equinox, the New York City-based fitness company. “This is a case of building on the momentum that…
Oily Attractions Off Shore
Three New Zealand exploration blocks, owned by Anadarko Petroleum, could hold up to 150 million barrels of crude oil or trillions of cubic feet of natural gas, according to a company executive. “There’s significant…
Profiting From Here On In
Chief executive of Virgin Media New Zealander Neil Berkett, 56, is at No. 51 in the Guardian’s annual Media 100 list which ranks the industry’s most powerful people. It has been a landmark year for…
Flights Back to the Ice
Antarctica Sightseeing Flights is offering the first commercial flight from New Zealand to Antarctica – 33 years after the Erebus disaster. The tourism operator will take a chartered Boeing 747 from Auckland to the…
Big on Exports
New Zealand is now the world’s 10th largest wine exporter, despite producing only 1 per cent of the world’s wine, according to the latest figures, which saw exports hit a record $1.18bn in the…
Kids Love Monkey Avatars
The children’s social-networking site, London-based MiniMonos, which was invented by Wellington entrepreneur Melissa Clark-Reynolds, has just been selected with five other emerging British digital startups as part of the BBC Worldwide business-mentoring programme dubbed…
Appealing to the Crowds
New Zealand-born screenwriter Mark Staufer has hit his $75k target on crowdfunding site Kickstarter for a project called The Numinous Place, which will be released as an ebook and app for iPhone,…
Small Business Expansion
New Zealand business software company Greentree featured in the Guardian’s ‘Small Business Network’ section. “Greentree is special,” CEO Peter Dickinson says. “What makes it special is the wonderful community of…
Google Buys New Zealander’s Social Media Company
Google has purchased social media marketing company Wildfire Interactive for a reported US$250M. Wildfire Interactive was created by New Zealander Victoria Ransom and Alain Chuard four years ago and has gone on to become…
Fish For a New Middle Class
More New Zealand seafood is headed to Thailand as consumer appetite grows. The South Pacific nation is poised to capitalise on Thai consumers now having more baht in their pockets and their increased appreciation…
More Halal Burgers for UAE
New Zealand fastfood chain BurgerFuel has opened its fifth flagship outlet in the Mall of the Emirates. BurgerFuel Worldwide CEO international markets Chris Mason said: “Mall of the Emirates attracts over 30 million visitors…
Safety First with Al Bundy
New Plymouth-born actress Melanie Lynskey, 35, appears in cartoon alongside Married with Children and Modern Family star Ed O’Neill in the latest Air New Zealand airline safety video. Melanie seems a little … disappointed…
Velocity is Everything
Business leaders have things the wrong way round according to New Zealand-based Kevin Roberts, chief executive worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi. They spend far too much time assessing information and making decisions,…
Strategically Repositioning Business
Investment banking faces a shakeup and only large commercial players and boutiques offering outstanding service will survive and prosper, New Zealander Stephen Jennings, the head of Moscow-based Renaissance Group says. “The industry will end…
Big Plans for the Pacific Rim
Former president and chief executive of Unilever’s Canadian business, New Zealander Christopher Luxon, 41, has been named Rob Fyfe’s successor as CEO of Air New Zealand. Luxon joined Air New Zealand in May 2011…
Servilles Steals the Show
New Zealand-based Servilles came out on top at this year’s Schwarzkopf Professional Hair Expo Awards held in Sydney last week, taking away three of the event’s top prizes. Servilles won in each of…
Breaking More Ice
New Zealand-based clothing company Icebreaker, makers of hand-picked merino wool adventure-wear will open a second Vancouver store in September. “Vancouverites have been such great supporters of Icebreaker, and we think the North…
Sharing in Canadian Energy
The Richard Chandler Corporation has announced acquisition of shares in Canadian energy company InterOil Corporation. The Richard Chandler Corporation is a private investment group based in Singapore and founded by New Zealand-born…
Winning from Within
President of Gatorade New Zealander Sarah Robb O’Hagan is No 23 on Fast Company’s 2012 list of The 100 Most Creative People in Business. No Gatorade shower could extinguish the flaming mess Robb O’Hagan…
Making Small a Virtue
Chief executive officer of Air New Zealand Rob Fyfe, 51, talks to Monocle about the importance of national identity to the airline and staying competitive in the industry. “One of the goals we set…
Sustainable Award for Cement Works
Golden Bay Cement has been recognised for its use of bioenergy to reduce CO2 emissions, winning the Renewable Energy category in the 2012 Energy Efficient and Conservation Authority (EECA) Awards. The company has cut CO2…
All Systems Are Go
New Zealand’s largest solar power plant, a 68-kilowatt farm, has opened in Drury, South Auckland and “if – or perhaps when – the world’s natural resources run out, New Zealand will be laughing all…
Local Wineries Entice Chinese Market
New Zealand winemakers are preparing for a major push in China this month with their biggest-ever road show taking place in Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai. The New Zealand government and wine industry are…
Banking on Nigeria
Stephen Jennings, the New Zealand-born founder and chief executive of Moscow-based investment bank Renaissance Capital, is setting up a consumer finance business in Nigeria with hopes to tap the fast-growing economy’s rising…
