Better than expected balance of payments figures out this morning underscore the strength of both the services and goods sectors of the New Zealand economy, Finance Minister Steven Joyce says.

New Zealand's current account deficit narrowed to $1.6 billion in the June 2017 quarter, $1.2 billion lower than in the previous quarter. This is mainly driven by the services sector, with a surplus of $1.3 billion, the highest surplus on record.

New Zealand’s current account deficit is 2.8 per cent of GDP in the June year, down from 2.9 per cent in the last quarter, ahead of market forecasts for a deficit of 3.1 per cent.

"Today’s result is one of the dividends of an increasingly diversified economy, with both services and goods exports performing well in the quarter,” Mr Joyce says. “The services sector in particular, had a strong run in the quarter driven by $3.7 billion of spending by overseas travellers.”

Key highlights included:

- Services surplus increased $295 million to $1.3 billion

- The goods deficit decreased $677 million to $446 million

- New Zealand’s net international liability position is equivalent to 57.5 per cent of GDP, down from 57.8 per cent in the previous quarter, the lowest since records began.

"The days of New Zealand as a one-trick economy are behind us, but this does not mean we can rest on our laurels. We need to continue the government's strong economic plan so we can further diversify and grow our economy.”

| A Beehive release  ||  September 21,  2017   |||

Ground-breaking research into design’s economic contribution to New Zealand’s economy has shown that during the last year alone design contributed $10.1b to New Zealand’s GDP (approximately 4.2%). The research launched in late July 2017 by Hon. Steven Joyce Minister of Finance, was undertaken by PwC and commissioned by DesignCo. Professor Claire Robinson, convenor of DesignCo, said at the launch of the research “There is a strong correlation between national prosperity, economic growth and a thriving design sector. International evidence confirms that design leads to more competitive firms making and selling higher value products and services.

“The research reveals that if design were treated as an individual industry its contribution to the New Zealand economy would be larger than agriculture and on a par with retail trade ($10.6b), and food, beverage and tobacco product manufacturing. The sector also provides approximately 94,200 FTE design positions in New Zealand, roughly 4.4% of employment,” Professor Robinson said.

For the purposes of the research the definition of design is broad in nature — it is a process or series of processes to create a proposition in any industry. Design is dynamic and can stretch across a number of applications, industries and occupations. It is because of this broad nature that the project group determined that the current classification system for industries and occupations in New Zealand did not adequately capture design in all its forms. As such, a project reference group developed a classification system for design. The classification has five levels, including the design disciplines of design education, graphic design, innovation / invention, interactive design, motion design, product design, service design, spatial design, and strategy.

The research shows that the manufacturing industry contributed the greatest amount to design-related economic activity in 2016 with $2.7b. Product design and interactive design disciplines are the two biggest individual contributors towards design’s GDP, with over $4.5b of economic activity coming from these two disciplines (46% of the total).

The study indicates a broadening use of design as an effective process; in exporting firms, technology, health, conservation, the public sector and within cities. Ludo Campbell-Reid, head of the Auckland Design Office and Auckland’s design champion said: “There is an international movement that is centred on cities that are transforming themselves through great urban design. We need to make sure that people understand the impact that design can have. Great design is good for the environment, good for business and good for social cohesiveness. Well-designed schools reduce truancy, well designed hospitals are better for your health, and well-designed cities are better for health and happiness. Design in the 21st century, with the rise and rise of technology and interactive and open-source consumer platforms, is being harnessed more frequently, for a wider set of purposes and with increasing impact,” Ludo Campbell-Reid said.

Professor Robinson said: “DesignCo partners will continue to connect with the constituent parts of the New Zealand design eco-system in a systematic and regular manner, telling the story of New Zealand’s design excellence, rectifying the paucity of information about the design sector and gathering statistical data on the value and impact of design in New Zealand.

| A DesignCo release  ||  September 20,  2017   |||

Read the report and DesignCo recommendations here

To purchase a printed version of the report click here

Using connected technologies to gain business value The recent Rockwell Automation TechED event in Melbourne attracted record numbers and revealed the latest techniques and technologies to help maximise manufacturing and production operations. With a focus on advancing industrial automation and solving business challenges, the event brought together the best in the industry including end users, system integrators, distributors, partners and machine builders. “TechED has established a reputation as the industry’s only multi-day, hands-on event focusing on the latest technologies to help maximise assets and information across operations. The number of people attending TechED is growing year upon year because it not only focuses on the latest technologies to enable a Connected Enterprise, but demonstrates first-hand how companies can connect silos of information to extract real business value,” explained Matthew Treeby, commercial marketing manager, Rockwell Automation. The event began with an informative keynote presentation by John Watts, marketing director, Rockwell Automation that highlighted the importance of investing in smart manufacturing and production to remain competitive on a global scale. The growing middle class in emerging countries together with an aging workforce are key market drivers for smart manufacturing and production. As the consumer market grows and demands more choice, manufacturers need to embrace new technologies to address these changing requirements. In light of these macro-trends, the Industrial IoT is estimated to have an economic impact of 4.6 trillion dollars by 2025 as new technologies including analytics, mobility, app platforms and the cloud, help securely connect plant information with enterprise systems. In closing, Watts explained the importance of firstly understanding why you are taking the journey to smart manufacturing. “As a manufacturer, it’s important to have a clear understanding of the productivity and manufacturing issues you are working to solve. It is not all about the technology, think about the people and processes involved. Make sure you understand the business outcomes and why you are heading towards smart manufacturing.” To help customers work towards increased productivity and profitability, he also shared a five-step guide to the Connected Enterprise; the first step being to identify desired business outcomes, then sourcing an outside perspective, assembling the team, starting small by implementing a pilot program and finally scaling for expansion to eventually enable The Connected Enterprise. Michael Pantaleano, global business manager for analytics and cloud, Rockwell Automation, delivered the second keynote presentation focusing on how the company’s latest tools and technologies focus on scalable analytics to help customers meet production and operational goals. Manufacturers rely on production data to solve challenges on the plant floor and across the enterprise. Scalable analytics, performed at the device, system or enterprise level, provide actionable information to the people who need it and a pathway to move data into higher-level systems. Pantaleano emphasised the importance of running analytics where it makes sense, based on the real time nature and power required. For example, analysis of historical data and trends for future optimisation could and should take place in the cloud, whereas detection of device abnormalities requires a real time response and should be handled onsite. The company’s new analytics solutions have the capability to scale from device through to enterprise. The devices that are in machines, lines and applications produce data. To run a connected enterprise, this data must be extracted and sent up to plant-wide and enterprise-wide information systems. The new FactoryTalk Analytics for Devices provides information about the diagnostic health of devices, at the source. With plug-in appliances that automatically detect, digitise, analyse, and act on device data, real-time alerts on critical device and machine health are delivered at the device level. Revealing insights into new and future products, Pantaleano explained that the focus of product development is on simplicity and experience so that devices are easier to use and deploy. In addition, collaboration and mobility requirements are met through the new FactoryTalk TeamONE app, helping to make customers more productive. Another welcome addition to the company’s offering, Rockwell Automation ThinManager helps manage information and streamline workflows for a more connected production environment. ThinManager software allows centralised configuration and management of deliverable content to any combination of user, device or location. Similarly, Studio 5000 Logix Designer has added new features to help improve productivity. It is clear that the company’s focus is on providing appliances that can begin delivering results quickly – products that already have analytics, are easy to use and deploy, readily integrated and scalable for future needs. With more than 60 sessions on offer, attendees were able to experience the latest trends and technologies in the areas of scalable industrial analytics, operational data infrastructure and management, digital transformation, remote access and monitoring, and connected services and solutions. The Process Solutions Users Group (PSUG) provided a unique perspective on how to optimise process applications and the opportunity to interact directly with the Rockwell Automation global process team. For process industries, PlantPAx embraces the cloud, mobility and virtualisation, providing an easy information flow and the flexibility to adapt to new technology. Another area where Rockwell Automation has made significant advances is security. As manufacturing and production facilities connect the plant floor with business systems, a comprehensive approach to industrial security is required. Securing the Connected Enterprise requires a holistic defense-in-depth approach. TechED provided the forum to learn about developing standards and regulations around security and the Rockwell Automation approach for building security into their products. TechED demonstrated the importance of investing in smart manufacturing and production; and the costly danger of missed opportunities. The industrial automation market in Australia and New Zealand is expected to grow consistently over the coming years, making now the right time to reap the rewards of using analytics to transform data from smart, connected industrial assets into meaningful insights. About Rockwell Automation Rockwell Automation Australia and Rockwell Automation New Zealand are subsidiaries of Rockwell Automation, Inc.—a leading global provider of industrial automation and information solutions that helps manufacturers achieve a competitive advantage in their businesses. The company brings together leading global brands in industrial automation which include Allen-Bradley® controls and services and Rockwell Software® factory management software. Its broad product mix includes control logic systems, sensors, human-machine interfaces, drive controllers, power devices, and software.

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK), the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and information, makes its customers more productive and the world more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wis., Rockwell Automation employs approximately 22,000 people serving customers in more than 80 countries.

Manufacturers are important employers in New Zealand creating many opportunities for skilled and unskilled labour.

As released in ManufacturingNZ’s election manifesto, the sector employs 250,000 people and accounts for 14% of all jobs.

In the current skills shortage environment, the sector needs the incoming government to have a cohesive strategy for addressing growing the workforce of today and in the future.

In the EMA Election Manifesto, it outlined several recommendations to close the skills and training gaps. These included:

- Applying more funding to fill the skills gaps in the trade sector and incorporate an employer-based approach - Policies need to reflect lifelong career development, including a continuation of funding and support for workplace literacy programmes; and an co-ordinated approach to managing an ageing workforce - Ensuring the immigration process is less complicated, having a greater emphasis on the points system to meet the required skills required by employers. Automatic extension of temporary work visas for sectors placed on the skills shortages list

"Our manufacturing sector is an integral part of New Zealand’s economy. It produces around 50% of our exports, makes a significant contribution to the regions, invests in plant and machinery along with investing about $450 million in research and development," says Kim Campbell, CEO, EMA.

"While automation and developments in technology have enhanced the manufacturing sector, there is a worsening labour shortage - 65% of employers say there is, or soon will be, a skills shortage in their sector. The next government needs to address this."

Another key challenge for manufacturers is transport and infrastructure. In the EMA Election Manifesto, it outlined several areas that business wants addressed in this regard. These range from expediting critical national infrastructure, easing congestion particularly in Auckland through to reforming the resource management system.

"We need to keep ahead of the demand curve to ensure our manufacturers remain competitive. This impacts their entire supply chain, from sourcing of materials through to getting goods to market - and everything in between," says Mr Campbell.

| AnEMA release  ||  September,  2017   |||

Have you ever had a great idea and wished you could figure out how to get it to market, but you weren’t really willing to “bet the farm” on it? As someone who has been in that position on several occasions, I can share a few insights.

First, I’ve never been tempted to contact one of those firms that markets heavily about how they help novice inventors develop ideas and provide lots of support at every step of the way. I’ve generally assumed, perhaps unfairly, that they’re much more interested in the fees they’ll collect than in really helping me succeed.  This article was written by  Douglas Hoon back in March 2016 for Machine Design

Second, I’ve never sought out angel investors or venture capitalists as a way to fund the process. They provide much more mainstream approaches, but such investors will rightly expect that you will be totally focused on achieving certain agreed-upon milestones on schedule. And they will be quick to walk away if they see the opportunity fading. It’s a high-risk, high-reward, time-critical approach that makes sense if you’re already financially independent or young enough and without major family obligations that you can weather a spectacular failure and move on with your life. Or you really like to gamble.

My approach has always been to do my inventing “nights and weekends” as a complement to a regular job that pays the bills, investing my own funds on a schedule I can afford and putting in a few hours a week slowly pushing the idea. Not every idea is a success, but with this strategy it’s possible to eventually succeed financially if only one in 10 ideas sees some level of commercial success.

Like many in the Machine Design audience, I have a small basement shop and some design tools that let me tinker and pursue ideas while avoiding the expense of real-estate rental, hiring employees, and bank loans or other debt. Thus, when some of my efforts proved to be “ahead of their time,” I’ve been able to weather the long haul until the market catches up. During that time, I am able to keep the idea alive while maintaining full ownership of the IP, persisting in overcoming the obstacles that will intrude, learning more about the markets involved, and laying a solid foundation for success. That old adage that success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration is true, and you need to give yourself the opportunity to actually invest that 99% without worrying about investor demands or running out of money.

In the process of acquiring 10 patents and writing over a dozen additional provisional and non-provisional patents, I’ve gained a lot of insights that you may find useful.

• If you work for a company, especially one involved in design, manufacturing, or consulting, there is a strong possibility you were required to sign an agreement that assigns the rights to any invention you conceive to your employer. Sometimes this provision extends for patent filings that occur 90 days or more from the date you leave the company. So before you do anything, talk to your boss or someone in your HR department to find out if you can carve out some type of exception to that policy. Companies are often willing to let you individually patent ideas that lie outside their competitive area of interest. If you can’t do that, and you’re unwilling to launch your own business, there is little reason to pursue this strategy.

• Your only protection as the inventor of a product is a patent. And the only circumstance under which most potential customers/acquirers/licensees of your idea will even talk to you is if you have at least applied for a patent. They don’t want to be embroiled in any charges that they’ve stolen your idea. A patent application, with its definitive time stamp, sets clear boundaries on who owns what.

• Patent lawyers are really expensive. Until you’re sure you have something likely to provide a return on what could be a substantial investment, figure out how to use the many tools available on U.S. Patent Office’s website www.USPTO.gov. It’s especially important that you learn how to use their advanced search tools for patents and published applications.

• Our patent system is based on the “first to file” principle. Fortunately, you can file a provisional patent application on your own, without help other than reading the guidelines on the USPTO website, as soon as the idea crystalizes in your mind. The cost for a first-time inventor filing under “micro entity” status is only $65. If you don’t qualify for that rate, the fee for a “small entity” is $130.

Provisional patent applications are good for one year. That time window lets you explore an idea more fully with reduced risk that it will be stolen. This exploration should include your own efforts to determine whether the idea is truly novel or so close to someone else’s patent that it is not worth pursuing. It should also include reaching out to potential customers/acquirers to determine whether there is any significant level of interest, i.e., do you have a product idea people will actually pay for? And finally, this one-year window gives you an opportunity to create a prototype, even a crude representation, to determine whether the idea will actually work. For this latter goal, I’ve found the 3D printer on my home desktop to be priceless.

• Submitting a provisional patent requires that you be able to adequately document/describe your idea in both words and figures. If you’re not a good writer, get help from friends or family. And think carefully about all the different ways your idea’s general functional characteristics might be realized. Your provisional patent not only registers the priority date for your idea claims, it also limits what you can later claim (without losing your priority date) in a subsequent non-provisional patent application.

The drawing portion of the application can be made much easier if you can create a range of drawing views from one of the available drawing software packages–preferably a solids modeling program. If you know how to use one of these programs, great. And if your employer will let you use company software for a personal project like this, it can be a big cost saver. However, should you need to acquire your own design software, there are several alternatives worth looking at. SolidWorks is a superb choice for small inventors, but it costs about $5,000 for the initial license and has substantial annual subscription fees. Other, more recent 3D solids programs, are less expensive. AutoDesk’s Fusion 360 and OnShape are two that come to mind. There is actually a version of OnShape you can get for free with the only limitation that your cloud-based file storage cannot exceed 5 GB. Patent drawings at the provisional level don’t necessarily need to conform to any particular format, but the USPTO publishes a definitive drawing format guide you should get in the habit of using.

• After you decide your idea is worth pursuing beyond the provisional patent level, legal protection starts to become more expensive. If there is a chance your idea will have broad appeal, especially on an international level, the investment in a patent attorney is certainly warranted. If, however, you determine there is a small market, but one worth pursuing for a small business, maybe something you could do almost at a hobby level for the enjoyment and small additional income it could afford, then you might think about prosecuting the non-provisional patent yourself. The USPTO lets individual inventors file pro se. I’ve done it once under just this set of financial considerations. The process is still underway, so I have limited experience to describe the plusses and minuses.

• One strategy I’ve used on several occasions is to solicit help in the patenting process from a larger firm interested in licensing the rights to the invention. Under these terms, they typically fund the out-of-pocket expenses for all legal fees. Inventors are generally expected to contribute their time to support development of the required patent specification and drawings with no compensation other than for direct expenses.

A natural extension of this strategy is to also solicit help from the licensing firm to defend the patent once it issues. This is potentially a huge factor in your overall business strategy because the value of a patent is only as good as your ability to defend it against potential infringers. As an individual pitted against a multinational corporation, you would have almost no chance of enforcing your rights. With the help of a larger firm, the odds go up substantially. Most agreement language around this type of provision will give the licensing firm “the right, but not the obligation” to defend the idea. Typically any damages won in a patent trial go to whoever funded the suit, and in the case it would be the licensing firm and not to you. That’s okay because your interest is in protecting the royalty stream from the license and if that continues, you win too.

I find the whole process of invention, design, and marketing of ideas to be fun and a great sideline to my normal work life. As hobbies go, it’s one of the few with the potential to actually supplement your income rather than be a steady economic drain. Like every hobby, it gets easier as you develop skills and more experience. It’s also a great way to keep my mind active and something I hope to do well into what would otherwise be a quiet retirement.

|  A Machine Design release  ||  March 3,  2016   |||

Please note that requirements around the patent system referred to in this article are based on US requirements.  For requirements in New Zealand you should visit the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand.

Productivity is a necessary but not sufficient condition for higher wages and standard of living.

Shamubeel Eaqub says ease of doing business and relatively low levels of reported corruption are clearly not enough to improve New Zealand's productivity.

New Zealand has a productivity problem. We are working harder to grow the economy, but we aren't getting much better at it. Poor productivity has plagued New Zealand for the past 40 years. We have a productivity problem. The problem is not new, there are no easy fixes, and doing more of the same will most certainly not fix it. We should not pretend that any of the political parties have a convincing plan to fix it.

A problem that has persisted for four decades will take long-term structural reform across a number of areas, including education, training, international connections, competition, research, development and commercialisation. And this will have to be led by an independent state sector that answers to the public, not just be ministers' puppets.

Productivity is a necessary but not sufficient condition for higher wages and standard of living. It is possible to have strong productivity growth, but the gains can accrue to a small concentration of capital owners, rather than widely through the economy.

New Zealand has less of a problem of sharing productivity gains, than having productivity gains in the first place. Low productivity explains a long growing wedge in wages between New Zealand and Australia.

Our GDP per person was similar to Australia's before the 1970s. Since then, Australia has grown faster and a wedge has opened up. The cause was lower productivity in New Zealand.

It is not because our economy is different, rather that we are not good at how we do things. We work really hard but we can't seem to make more profits and pay better wages.

Whether we talk about productivity or inequality, one leads to the conclusion that we have low quality economic growth. Growth for the sake of growth doesn't make sense, the point of growth is to have a more prosperous and fairer society - and to ensure that we are staying within the limits of nature.

There has been a lot of research work on productivity – the lack of it – in New Zealand. The OECD, The Treasury and The Productivity Commission all have useful and helpful work on it.

Our ease of doing business and relatively low levels of reported corruption are clearly not enough. Neither is our seemingly well-educated population. This led to much navel gazing and talk of the productivity puzzle. That we are small, distant and uncompetitive in many areas has become increasingly apparent.

Our country is too small. Many of our businesses face little competition and incentive to invest in new innovations. Many of our businesses and the markets they sell to are too small to adopt new and expensive ideas, processes or equipment.

The businesses that scale tend to be global. This interaction really helps, but not always. Exporting is risky and many businesses that have foreign investment are no more productive than other businesses.

What we have done so far hasn't worked. If we want to make change, it must be a gradual and long-term investment in making our education system more responsive to what our economy needs. Our businesses must invest more in training, workforce planning and career development. Our capital market and tax system need an overhaul to direct money to entrepreneurship and investment. We have to keep embracing globalisation to give our little economy semblance of scale.

There is a plethora of policy areas that need to work in concert to make slow-moving and long-term change. The public service must lead this narrative to set out the policies that will solve four decades of disappointing productivity. These policies need to be based on evidence and not tied to ideology. Because the policies have to be long-term, they must survive changes in political leadership.

Right now, the public service is not capable of delivering this. It stays away from policies the minister does not like. It pulls its punches, to please its political masters. The public is underserved by this servitude of the public service to the politicians, rather than to the public.

The problems of productivity in New Zealand are four decades old. Its long enough to move past denial and acceptance to resolution.

| Source peopleread  ||  September 4,  2017   |||

JR’s Orchards, writes Nicola Watson for www.freshplaza.com  is the only large scale, export orchard left in the Wellington area and is situated in the heart of the beautiful Wairarapa, in Greytown.

"Our region's climate of hot days and cold nights gives our fruit outstanding pressures and brix, making our apples highly desirable to all markets," said Jamiee Burns from the company. "In the past 5 years we have planted in excess of 35,000 trees including the new “Sunglow” Red Delicious which is attracting a lot of interest due to its sweet taste and storage compatibilities."

JR's are planting another 5,000 trees this winter, mainly Royal Gala and High Colour Braeburn. "We are looking to grow our markets in Europe and Asia as we feel our variety mix of Royal Gala, Braeburn, Fuji, Sunglow, Pacific Rose and European Pears will be perfect for these markets. We also export to the Middle East market and currently supply fruit into Lidl and Aldi in Europe."

Although netting is not common among New Zealand apples growers, JR's have 90% of their orchards protected. "We have the largest single netting structure for apples and pears in New Zealand and we will continue to develop until we are 100% covered," explains Jamiee.

"The netting has many benefits in enhancing our fruit quality and fruit finish as it has created its own micro climate under the nets. Our crop is protected from birds, insects, wind and hail."

The first netting was erected in 2007 and according to Jamiee, it has been a fantastic investment. "We have seen a 30% increase in production due to the netting. This is achieved by having a cleaner, pest free product and healthier trees."

JR's are a stand-alone business with no other grower supply base. Everything is marketed under the ECCO brand is 100% own fruit. "We have our own packhouse and coolstores with the capacity to Smartfresh 2,000 bins per day. We load all containers onsite and are part of New Zealand's Secure Exporters Program. This allows our export product to enter overseas markets freely without the need for additional offshore customs inspections."

The company has also invested in a new Compac grader that allows them to size, colour band, defect sort and optimise pack weight to ensure accuracy of the product.

"Our philosophy and vision is to grow excellent quality fruit in a sustainable way, while showing respect for our environment. We have twice entered the New Zealand Ballance Environmental Awards and in 2009 won the Gallagher Innovation Award. In 2015 we entered again and won the 2015 Hill Laboratories Harvest Award, 2015 Waterforce Integrated Management Award and 2015 Massey University Innovation Award, said Jamiee proudly.

The company is accredited to BRC, Global Gap + GRASP, Sedex Registered and follow the New Zealand Pipfuit Apple Futures Program to ensure we can deliver an excellent product and meet all our Importers stringent MRL standards required by our markets.

| A FreshPlaza release  ||  August 31,  2017   |||

The apple season will still be a bumper despite T&G Global's lower first-half-year profit forecast, says New Zealand Apples and Pears chief executive Alan Pollard and reported by FreshPlaza.

In a NZX announcement T&G Global reported a 49 per cent decrease in first-half-year profit, with poor weather contributing to harvest timing, quality, volume and margin.

"Inclement weather also affected third-party growing partners in New Zealand and internationally, leading to an overall decrease in the volume of fruit available," T&G Global said.

Profitability was also affected by the northern hemisphere where fruit was available for a longer period, delaying the switch to southern produce.

"These issues led to operating profit for the pipfruit division decreasing by $8 million from the same period last year."

Mr Pollard said that, for the whole season, it looked like it would be a similar result to last year nationwide.

"Last year was a record year, so if we do the same we equal our record - you can't complain about that," he said.

| A Fresh Plaza release |  August 25,  2017   |||

It's time New Zealand seriously started to invest in promoting technology, the country’s third largest export industry and fastest growing sector of our economy, a leading New Zealand tech businessman says.

NZTech and FinTechNZ chair and Augen Software Group director Mitchell Pham says when Kiwis are in Asia and ask locals what they know about New Zealand, they generally say tourism, education, dairy, beef and lamb, high quality food products and other primary exports – never technology.

“It is highly unlikely that technology innovation or digital products would be mentioned, even though we have thousands of world class tech companies in this country,” he says.

“I want to see New Zealand technology promoted to the world just as we have made a huge effort over the past 20 years to globally feature tourism in this country.

“As a technology entrepreneur who has travelled extensively throughout Asia, the lack of knowledge of Kiwi tech ingenuity is a constant frustration for me. There's no place in the Asian region where I can use the NZ Inc. brand to help position a tech business as being from a well-known high-tech export nation.

“This is why NZTech is actively working to develop the NZ Tech Story in collaboration with Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and New Zealand Story to add being a high-tech nation as an integral part of the story we tell the world about ourselves. We can all participate and add to the development of the story via the NZ Tech Story Forum on LinkedIn.

“New Zealand has invested heavily in promoting education and tourism for decades, which is why we are so well known in Asia for these industries. It's time we make an on-going investment into promoting our fastest growing sector of our economy. The sooner the better, as it will take time to build the brand association between NZ and high-tech nation.”

Pham says the tech sector is not an island. As most Kiwi tech companies are still relatively new to business development in Asia, it would be smart and important for them to work alongside other New Zealand industry sectors which have been doing so for much longer and are therefore bigger, stronger and better known. Technology businesses are more relevant when promoted as part of the sectors that they serve.

Tourism, education, dairy, beef and lamb, fruit, wine, high quality food products, other primary exports, banking and engineering are just some of the sectors that have been developing in Asia for some time, he says.

“Critical mass is important for branding in Asia. So while we haven't got many large tech brands from New Zealand, such as Orion Health and Xero, we do have a large number of tech firms.

“NZ Techweek next year will be a huge opportunity to promote tech. International tech people will come to attend our events and we want to put NZ on the world tech map. Bringing together hundreds of events into the same week is better than spreading them across the calendar. The sheer number of Kiwis who come out to attend the events will also show critical mass and attract attention.

“We should also work smartly by tapping into relevant networks that are available to us. High-value and high-trust networks are full of influencers and connectors, so they are good channels to push the NZ tech story, such as KEA, New Zealand Asian Leaders (NZAL), ASEAN-NZ Business Council and similar networks connected in New Zealand and Asia.”

| A MakeLemonode release  ||  August 28,  2017   |||

The Government’s planned investment in Defence over the next 15 years represents a huge opportunity for New Zealand companies, says Defence Minister Mark Mitchell.

Mr Mitchell told Defence industry representatives last night that the country needs a Defence Force that is equipped and supported to respond to a rapidly changing strategic environment.

“This requires investment. Over the next 15 years, the Government will invest up to $20 billion in new and upgraded military capability, including replacement of all our major platforms and the regeneration of the Defence estate.

“We have many companies in the Defence sector who are themselves investing and innovating in their areas of expertise. The Government’s investment in Defence promotes growth in the sector, creates jobs and means that the industry will have every chance to build on its achievements.

“While we are not builders of warships or military aircraft, New Zealand companies can support those capabilities with world-class products and systems, and also support them through life,” Mr Mitchell says.

“For every dollar spent on a new capability, four is spent supporting it through life, the bulk of which is spent locally.

“Each year the New Zealand Defence Force spends $600 million on maintenance and repair, training, and other commercial services.

“The Government is committed to ensuring New Zealand companies are given every opportunity to compete for a share of the investment in Defence.

“The products and services New Zealand companies produce are recognised as world-class, and where they can reduce the cost ownership for the Government we need to support them,” Mr Mitchell says.

| A Beehive release  ||  August 11,  2017   |||