Ronnie Peters Connecting New Zealanders in NYC

Happy Bones is a hip coffee store and art space created by a troika of New Zealanders, and the scene for the monthly “Flat White Meetup”, where entrepreneurs gather to talk about their trials and triumphs in New York City.

Ronnie Peters – raised in Motueka and schooled in Nelson and Christchurch – is a meetup regular and an NYC success story.  Peters’ digital design firm, Planet Three Sixty, creates websites, mobile apps, strategies and brands and counts among its kingpin clients the New York Times, Office Depot, American Express and Time Inc.

As the New Zealand community grows in the Big Apple, Peters, 50, plays his part in helping make it stronger.

“I meet more and more interesting New Zealanders coming here with great ideas and concepts, and it’s fascinating to see them do business well in the US. I’m really interested in helping brands that come here, where I can,” he says.

At the Flat White Meetup, newcomers to New York are guided through the snags of immigration and taxation, finding accommodation, and creating contacts and connections.

Peters goes a step further by taking New Zealanders under his wing and into his firm. There is always at least one in his core staff of 12.

“They definitely have a can-do attitude, a willingness to take on a challenge, especially in a small firm like ours where you have to wear many hats.”

Original article by Suzanne McFadden, Unlimited, September 30, 2014.

Image credit: HappyBonesNYC on Instagram