First the Cup, Now the Flat-Bed
Kiwis aren’t just beating the Americans on the water; they’re whipping them in the air too. Forbes’ travel correspondent Katie Kelly Bell put the new flat-bed business class to the test, comparing the Delta…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Double-Edged NZ World First
Kiwi homeowners won’t like it but the Wall St Journal is predicting New Zealand will be the first developed nation in the world to raise interest rates since the Global Financial Crisis hit in…
Good Management? Set Staff Free
You could fill the American Library of Congress with books about good management and still have enough left over to stack a few aisles in Boston’s Public Library. Despite the plethora of advice, the…
Winning Off the Water
There’s only one thing Americans love more than the underdog – and that’s winners. So says Leon Grice, New Zealand’s consular general in Los Angeles, who believes imminent victory on San Franciscan waters will…
Experts Behind the Global Yachting Scene
“As the America’s Cup finals begin on 7 September on San Francisco Bay, the people of New Zealand will be watching most intently,” New Zealand Trade and Enterprise chair Andrew Ferrier writes for Forbes….
Global Consultancy Success Built Without a Plan B
“As an Auckland schoolgirl, the first high school career advice Skipp Williamson received, was that she would be well suited to a life as a builder’s labourer,” Mathew Dunckley writes for The Australian Financial…
NZ is Beating Australia to the next Wool Bonanza
“As to why the New Zealanders beat Australia to a market that could – arguably should – have been ours, the story is complex, ranging from chutzpah to lost opportunities and marketing failures…
Icebreaker President Reflects on Path to Portland
President and co-founder of Icebreaker, the Wellington-based merino wool clothing brand, Jeremy Moon recently spoke at the inaugural meeting of Athletic and Outdoor Young Professionals about the company’s roundabout route to their US home…
Smarter Together with Hill Holliday
New Zealander Graham Ritchie, 48, has been named new strategy chief for American advertising agency Hill Holliday, overseeing a department of 38 strategic planners who work on brands such as Dunkin’ Donuts, Bank of…
How Wilson Plans to Revive Aviva
Although the Aviva name will remain, New Zealand-born Mark Wilson is turning the British multinational insurer into is a very different company from that which his predecessor envisaged, The Telegraph’s James Quinn writes. This…
On a Mission to Advantage the Disadvantaged
New Zealand-born Audette Exel, 50, lives a double life, Bloomberg Market Magazine reports. In New York, London, Bermuda and Sydney, she’s a company director and the owner and head of Isis (Asia Pacific) Pty,…
Fonterra “Imbroglio” Gets High Level Chinese Censure
China Daily, the widest print circulation of any English-language newspaper in China, says New Zealand needs to start building trust in the long-term that “comes from regulatory systems that work.” This follows the identification…
McEwan Takes on Politically Charged RBS Leadership
New Zealander Ross McEwan, 56, has been named the new chief executive of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), “one of the highest-profile and politically charged roles in the banking world.” The Guardian’s city…
Looking at the Top Figures
New Zealand’s rich are getting richer, with the total worth of those who made it onto National Business Review’s 2013 rich list up $3.5 billion on last year, reports The Australian. Graeme Hart once…
Thinking Even Bigger from Google in Silicon Valley
Scotts Ferry, Harvard University, Wall Street, the White House – Victoria Ransom’s journey from rural Rangitikei to an executive’s chair at the Googleplex is one of New Zealand’s most stunning success stories, The New…
Ammann Testament to General Motor’s New Culture
General Motors chief financial officer, New Zealander Daniel Ammann, talks with The Detroit News editorial board about how the automaker’s goal is consistent profitability in a cyclical industry. After a historic bailout and Washington-managed…
Gibbs Amphibians Expands Across US
New Zealand-founded Gibbs Amphibians is on track to build 1000 Quadski amphibious all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) in 2013 and expects to have more than 100 major powersports dealers authorised to sell and service…
Forging a Mining Career from Humble Beginnings
New Zealand-born mining magnate Chris Ellison, 56, feels he has a lot to offer New Zealand migrants who come to Western Australia (WA) in search of opportunity. Ellison, who arrived in Australia almost 40…
Australian IT Workers Eye Up New Zealand
Australian information technology works are increasingly searching for work in New Zealand when looking for the next step in the careers. According to a survey by recruitment company Absolute IT, there has been a…
Telstra-CEO Explains his Trans-Tasman Upbringing
Born in Australia and raised in New Zealand, Telstra CEO David Thodey is a product of both countries – a real Trans-Tasman hybrid. Speaking at the Trans-Tasman Business Circle luncheon in Sydney, Thodey explained…
Fisher & Paykel Patriotic Through and Through
A New Zealand woman has uncovered a unique feature of Fisher & Paykel washing machine – they sing the national anthem. Auckland woman uploaded a video to YouTube of her washing machine sounding the…
Tourism New Zealand Wins German Award for ‘100% Middle-earth’
Tourism New Zealand’s 100% Middle-earth campaign has been named the best tourism and travel campaign in the German market at the Mairdumount Tourism and Travel Media Awards in Hamburg. 100% Middle-earth beat eleven other…
All Eyes on Air New Zealand at Paris Air Show
Air New Zealand was the centre of attention at the Paris Air Show with their new black livery on display and world first ‘sharklets’ on display. The airlines new Airbus A320 was officially presented…
New Paint Job for National Carrier’s Aircraft
Air New Zealand has unveiled a new livery for its aircraft, which will feature an iconic silver fern, to adorn its entire fleet by the end of 2014. The new look will phase out…
Berkett Joins Guardian Media Group as Chairman
Departing Virgin Media chief executive New Zealander Neil Berkett has been named chairman of Guardian Media Group (GMG). During his six-year tenure in the same role at Virgin Media, New Zealand-born Berkett focused on…
Quantum Move with Australian Pharmaceutical Acquisition
New Zealand’s Ebos Group Ltd. has reached a $1.1 billion deal to buy Australian pharmaceutical supplier Zuellig Healthcare Holdings, in what would be the biggest acquisition by a New Zealand-based company in two years….
Minister Blasts Department Over China Meat Export Bungle
A bungle by the NZ Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) was responsible for NZ meat exports being held on Chinese wharves for up to two weeks, says stuff.co.nz. The hold-up was caused by MPI…
Huawei Founder Choses NZ to Speak to Media for First Time
Huawei Technologies Founder Ren Zhengfei chose New Zealand for his first ever media briefing, The Wall Street Journal reports. ‘New Zealand may be a tiny market for most global companies, but for Chinese telecommunications…
Michael Fischer Mines Gold on Top of the World
New Zealander Michael Fischer mines gold at the top of the world. He heads the Kumtor Operating Company in Kyrgyzstan, a nation of 5.5 million people located half way between Moscow and Beijing. Mining…
New Zealand’s Boating Industry Keeps Winning Awards and Customers
New Zealand’s luxury boat builders have always made boats that ‘defeat the odds, break records and collect awards,’ writes Maria Alafouzou in the New York Times. You might think, at first glance, that a…
Gulf Cooperation Council and NZ to Ratify Trade Agreement
New Zealand is likely to ratify a trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) within the next 12 months, according to Steve Jones, NZ Consul General to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Negotiations…
Eastbourne Sisters Enjoy Giltedge Success
Eastbourne (Wellington) Giltedge Publishing directors and sisters Ann Husmann and Kate McFlinn have publishing in their blood, writes Jazial Crossley in the Dominion Post. Their father, Gil McGhee, published primary school children’s…
Harvard Studies Telecom Split
NZ companies Telecom and Chorus are being used by the Harvard Business School to teach its MBA students, writes Tamsyn Parker in the New Zealand Herald. In 2011, the Government split New Zealand telecommunications…
China Overtakes Australia as NZ’s Biggest Export Market
China has overtaken Australia as New Zealand’s biggest export market for the first time, buying more meat, dairy products and pine logs, while shipments across the Tasman have fallen, says the Sydney Morning Herald. …
Delegat’s Snaps Up Aussie Winery
Auckland-based Delegat’s Group has bought the assets of Australia’s Barossa Valley Estate out of receivership for $24.7 million, according to Australia’s Courier Mail. The winemaker, whose stable includes the Oyster Bay brand, will acquire…
Fiji-NZ Trade Benefits Both Countries
New Zealand exports more than $300 million worth of goods to Fiji. This is more than New Zealand exports to Russia or South Africa. And Fiji can benefit from programs focused on expanding the…
China and New Zealand Trade on Track for $20 Billion by 2015
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister John Key have reconfirmed the target of doubling two-way goods trade between their nations to $NZ20 billion by 2015. ‘Businesses are on track to achieve this, and…
Bastion of the Boat Building Industry
New Zealand is “a bastion of hard-nosed sailing and boating knowledge,” according to The New York Times. “Being so far away from all places except for Australia, they’ve had to make amends generationally, and…
Wireless Contract for Chinese
At least one small nation in the South Pacific isn’t too worried about China’s Huawei Technologies Co. posing a national security risk, writes Fox Business. New Zealand’s biggest telephone company, Telecom Corp. of New…
Exports Soar to China
New Zealand’s food and beverage sector is experiencing a boom with demand from Asia, particularly China, New Zealand’s second largest export destination country, buying $2.9 billion worth of products. The Investor’s Guide to the…
Integrating Sound in E-books
New Zealand-based company Booktrack is redefining reading in its traditional sense by synchronizing sound to e-book reading in much the same way that movies synchronize sound to images, chair of New…
Chinese infant formula maker to open in NZ
Chinese infant formula giant Yashili International Holdings will invest $NZ230 million in a New Zealand milk processing plant, according to the People’s Daily. The plant will be built just south of Auckland. Zhang Lidian,…
NZ protects Asian tourists from exploitation
New Zealand will ‘not tolerate’ Asian tourists being ripped off, Associate Tourism Minister Chris Tremain is reported saying by the New Straits Times. His comment follows the fining of two New Zealand firms by…
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…
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…
