Gate to the globe:

In a new four-part series, Tim Lambourne looks at how New Zealand businesses are taking on the world. Peter Eley reports.

M ori exporters take on the world.

Every time Venus Williams or Roger Federer take new balls at the US Open, a farm in Tolaga Bay clips the ticket.

And a shellfish little larger than a prawn found in deep New Zealand waters sells for an eye-watering $25 a pop in a Shanghai restaurant.

They’re just two of the fascinating stories that come out in TVNZ 1’s new show Gate To The Globe.

It’s a four-part series, presented by Tim Lambourne, which looks at the success M ori businesses have had exporting their products to the world.

Lambourne, 28, travelled to 16 countries for the show, which tracks produce made or processed by M ori companies from its source to where it is used or consumed.

The 28-year-old self-confessed travel junkie says being offered the job, “Was the best phone call I ever got. A producer at TVNZ thought I might be a good fit because I’m part-M ori and to be able to come at it from that side of things is really important.

“Other than that bit of luck, who knows. Casting is such a weird thing and to think about it too much would drive you crazy.”

Most of the stories featured on the show haven’t been told before, he says.

One of the reasons, he says, is that it’s a M ori thing to be humble.

“You keep your head down, work hard, don’t want to be seen to be too cool or too big.

“One of the downsides is that sometimes the stories don’t get out. The cool thing about the show is that we were able to say, ‘No, it’s OK. We can brag about this for you. You might not want to but we can do it on your behalf’.”

One of Lambourne’s favourite stories is about a M ori firm exporting outdoor clothing made from possum fur, which is worn by Britain’s aristocracy, including members of the Royal family.

“I only realised on this shoot that around the world the possum isn’t a pest. In Australia they are endangered, so killing one for fur would be like us killing a kiwi for feathers.

“So we are in this weird position where we hate them for being terrible for the environment but can harvest their fur guilt-free.”

And few people know that wool from Iwinui Station, owned by Te Aitanga a Hauiti in Tolaga Bay on the East Coast, is used by the Wilson company to make tennis balls for the US Open and other major events.

The wool goes to the Wilson factory in Thailand and Lambourne says that a top-quality competition tennis ball can’t be made with any other country’s wool.

So 90 per cent of the world’s tennis balls are made from New Zealand wool.

“They’ve tried to find other countries because our wool is so expensive but they just can’t do it,” he says.

Iwinui Station’s wool is sought after because it is especially clean, he says.

“Climate, what the sheep eat – there’s a whole bunch of granular details why some wool is better than that from the farm down the road.”

And the price of scampi amazed him, too.

“I’d never even heard of it or seen it on a menu. And here it was selling for $25 for just one in a restaurant in a Shanghai mall.”

One common theme runs through all the stories.

“M ori have a different outlook when it comes to business,” he says.

“You want to be profitable and deliver returns to shareholders, which a lot of time is your whanau or iwi, but it’s not at the expense of the environment.

“All of the businesses that use primary produce were aware of the responsibility not to overfish or ruin the land and they go way beyond business ethics or what’s required by a council.

“It’s not about making a billion-dollar company and selling it. It’s about making a billion-dollar company you pass on to your kids but they still have to leave resources in the ground. No one benefits if you take everything.”

Lambourne is an Aucklander by birth, but lives in Tokyo, where he’s carving out a career as a director and videographer.

“I used to live here three years ago when I came over on a working visa and after that I tried to find a city I liked more than Tokyo.

“I thought it might be in the States but they kept on shooting each other so I came back to Japan.”

“It’s not about making a billion-dollar company and selling it. It’s about making a billion-dollar company you pass on to your kids but they still have to leave resources in the ground.” – Tim Lambourne (below)