What a surprise

June was a month full of surprises – and on a global scale.

Of course, Brexit was the biggest surprise for most of us. On this side of the world few saw that one coming. And yet, should we be surprised? Social divisions had been building in the UK for many years and the referendum was the perfect platform for those divisions to manifest themselves.

By the time you read this, there will have been many opinions and developments aired over the Brexit vote and, fingers crossed, the markets will have started to settle again.

One thing is generally agreed upon, and that’s the view that the UK leaving the EU will take a long time to play itself out. And there is no cause for panic in this neck of the woods.

Of course, many British firms have been feeling the heat from a market that’s just had the confidence sucked out of it virtually overnight. There have been casualties already. You have to feel for them, because confidence is the lifeblood of any commercial operation.

Meanwhile, back here, while our tourism market may notice a drop-off in the number of British tourists coming to these shores – that will be offset by the British Lions tour and the ‘Barmy Army’ that has already committed to supporting it.

As for our export prospects – while there will be a need for some urgent negotiations, on both sides of the English Channel, I can’t see the demand for our premium food and beverage products in particular going away. People have to eat, and drink, and if it’s a superior product from a perceived clean, green environment far away, even more reason to purchase it. Right?

On the subject of surprises and superior products – we’re pleased as punch to announce the arrival of our new-look NZBusiness website (nzbusiness.co.nz), which we think is a significant improvement on the old one. Check it out and let us know what you think, and what else you would like to see there. We’ll be hosting a lot more content on the site and hope to include a few surprises going forward.

Happy reading!