NZ may lose ground if it stays in bubble, business group says
Zoom fatigue is setting in and it is imperative New Zealand figures out how to rejoin the world, says the Trans Tasman Business Circle.
Sir Peter Gluckman, former prime minister Helen Clark and former Air NZ chief Rob Fyfe have written a paper saying New Zealand needs to start working out how it can leave its ‘‘state of near-total isolation’’ to avoid the coronavirus pandemic. ‘‘This is not just affecting tourism and export education but also the many ways in which New Zealand projects and leverages its place in the world,’’ they said.
Opening the trans-Tasman bubble looked increasingly distant with community spread in at least one Australian state, the authors said, and a vaccine could be much further away than expected.
Trans Tasman Business Circle general manager Sharron Lloyd welcomed the discussion paper. ‘‘We absolutely agree that global connectivity is an imperative for New Zealand.’’
The group had worked with the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum working party investigating how a trans-Tasman bubble would work. There was no date in sight for opening the borders with Australia, Lloyd said. ‘‘There has been a huge amount of work done on how to open them up safely and not just relying on technology but working with the ecosystem to the airlines, tourism providers etcetera.
‘‘My understanding is there has been a huge amount done on that, and that both prime ministers need to be in agreement that the timing is right from a health perspective.’’
The business community wanted to be connected, and there was work being done on how that could happen if the border did not open.
‘‘Everyone is in the same boat globally that we can’t travel. In order not to be left behind how do we create that global connectivity – what is the alternative?’’ It was not a matter of waiting until people could move freely. ‘‘Internet and video conferencing is great but it is limited and people are getting that Zoom fatigue we are hearing a lot about. ‘‘We are so reliant on global connectivity and an international market that I just think the risks are that we will go backwards, that it will be detrimental to our economy if we can’t create global connectivity.’’
Businesses needed to replicate face-to-face contact, build relationships, and maintain the flow of goods and services into New Zealand. ‘‘I know things are really patchy at the moment but we are seeing some green shoots of hope and positivity in the business community and I think this report is positive,’’ Lloyd said.
The aviation industry, which was taking a huge hit from the Covid lockdown, welcomed the discussion.
Justin Tighe-Umbers, chair of the New Zealand Aviation Coalition, said New Zealanders were ‘‘understandably cautious’’ but it was important to think about what the future might look like if a vaccine for Covid-19 was years away.
An Air NZ spokeswoman said the airline supported the return of safe flying when borders re-opened, and would update its international network ‘‘if and when possible’’.