By Brierley Penn “China remains our major market in education, but we are not at our peak,” according to Charles Finny, Chairman of Education NZ. In the past, New Zealand’s market for inbound students from China has followed a boom and bust cycle, with the latest peak around the 2002-03 period. Finny says that his organization is trying very hard …

By Brierley Penn “Think global, but act local,” said Christopher Luxon, of Air NZ, citing the need to have intimate knowledge of individual markets in order to be internationally successful. His company is building a focus on using local marketing to connect to customers, recognizing that a one size fits all approach can never be successful in a globally competitive …

By Brierley Penn In 2012, China became the largest outbound market of any in the world, growing 40% relative to the 2011 period. In the last 12 months, China has become the second most important travel market for New Zealand, said Kevin Bowler, CEO of Tourism NZ, with Chinese visitors to NZ spending $645m each year. However, Bowler says that …

By Brierley Penn “New Zealand brand perception has been created over the past 100 years,” said Marco Marinkovich, CEO of Creative Bank. “Perception is reality.” “If I said Ronald Regan, you would think Watergate. If I said Bill Clinton, you would think Monica. If I said Lance Armstrong, you would think drug cheat.” It is vital that New Zealand’s reputation …

By Brierley Penn Cathy Quinn, Chair of Minter Ellison Rudd Watts, shared her success strategies for Chinese investment transactions in New Zealand at the China Business Summit this morning. Most importantly, she reminded the audience that it is vital to both understand and invest in your relationship with Chinese counterparts. “We’re the little guys, so we need to understand how …

By Brierley Penn “I think that we are world class in manufacturing and in food safety, but we have to lift our game,”said Theo Spierings, CEO of Fonterra, at today’s China Business Summit, held in Auckland. “We have to become the NASA of food safety and quality.” Spierings brought a message of collaboration and unity in rebuilding New Zealand’s reputation …

By Brierley Penn There is huge potential for Maori businesses to play a role in the China growth story, but unlocking this potential requires a concerted strategy, based on leveraging key strengths. “The big story in global markets at the moment is about the alignment between natural resources and China’s growing needs,” says David Harrison, ANZ’s Head of Maori Relationships. New …

By Brierley Penn Understanding the key differences between the various cultural settings in which they operate has been integral to Mainfreight’s success in an increasingly globalized business environment. With a market capitalization of $1 billion, and 75% of their revenues coming from offshore sources, the company no longer considers themselves to be a purely New Zealand business. The company entered …

By Brierley Penn 5 years ago, 1% of Vista Entertainment’s revenues were generated in US markets. Today, that figure sits at 25%, and the growth in this integral market has assisted Vista in becoming the world’s leading company operating in the cinema exhibition business. Derek Forbes delivered his “Three Do’s and One Don’t” at the NZ Doing Business in LA …

By Brierley Penn When a panel of business leaders in the US-NZ trade relationship took the stage during the second day of the Pacific Partnership Forum, the key takeaway from their discussion was unquestionable. The TPP must be completed as soon as possible, lest we witness the painfully slow crawl to progress that marked the Doha Round of WTO discussions. …