A new economy

Why businesses must adapt or die

These are adapt or die days for New Zealand businesses. And while not everyone is an essential worker it is absolutely essential that we continue to work, to keep the wheels of commerce turning, to keep our businesses viable and be ready for the bounce back when doors can be opened again.

Trading the business suit for active wear and pyjamas is not the only change, here’s how some New Zealand businesses and organisations are keeping the lights on, keeping connected, creating new collaborations and adapting their operation at pace.

Xero managing director for New Zealand and Pacific Islands Craig Hudson: A new business community hub and a dedicated customer response team

Right now our main focus is supporting our small business customers, and accounting and bookkeeping partners across Aotearoa to remain as active and productive as possible. We created a new online Business Community Hub to provide accurate, timely information to help small business owners navigate this tricky period. We’ve also created a new dedicated Customer Response Team for guidance on a case-by-case basis regarding the support initiatives. I’m also talking to my team, our customers, partners and wider communities about looking after each other’s mental health. We need to keep talking to one another. But it’s also important that we reach out for help beyond our friends and family if we need to. There are government-funded services and we have the Xero Assistance Programme available which provides free and confidential mental health counselling and resources. These are challenging times. But I do believe if we work together New Zealand will come out the other side of this in a prime position to rebuild and succeed.

Unilever International New Zealand head Matt Rigby, sponsor of Vodafone Warriors: ‘We’ve switched game time for digital lunchtime’

In late March the NRL confirmed the 2020 season had been suspended indefinitely and the Vodafone Warriors returned home to go into self-isolation.

The suspension upended all the promotional plans of sponsor Best Foods. But in a sidestep that even Benji Marshall would admire, Unilever switched tack to replace game time with lunch time and a digital dining experience via Facebook. Rugby league fans are invited to grab themselves a fresh sandwich and dial in to chat to the boys.

Three players from the club’s NRL squad will be available each Saturday to engage with fans over lunch, sharing experiences in lockdown and discussing all things rugby league. The first group of players linking up with supporters will include Chanel Harris-Tavita, Jackson Frei and Karl Lawton.

It’s one small way to stay engaged with their fan base and help maintain social connections despite social distancing and enables Best Foods to sustain its support of the Vodafone Warriors.

Fans can register for the Best Foods Digital Hangouts via the Best Foods Facebook page.

Skin Institute CEO Jenni Ryan: Utilising a virtual service that will continue after the pandemic

For the Skin Institute, adaption has been key. With our patients’ health and wellbeing in mind, we’ve widened our focus to ensure that the vital skin cancer area of our business remains up and running with our clinics opening and utilising virtual services wherever possible.

Now is not the time to be neglecting worrisome moles or skin lesions, nor uncomfortable veins in your legs, or any other skin condition that’s given you concern.

Thanks to virtual consulting, patients can undertake a full skin or veins consultation from the safety and comfort of their homes. We use a fully private and secure video platform which enables us to closely examine the skin via phone or laptop for spots, skin cancers, varicose veins and other dermatological conditions.

I do believe the virtual-appointment movement is here to stay, indeed it gives people another – and in many cases more convenient – option. So much so that we plan to offer virtual appointments as an ongoing service for clients well beyond the pandemic crisis.

Looking after Kiwis and their skin has long been at the centre of our business, we’re just doing things a little differently now.

Huawei New Zealand deputy managing director Andrew Bowater: Split teams and a daily health check app

Most of the team are busier than ever. We’ve got teams of people working from home, but we’ve also got people working with partners in the field helping keep New Zealand’s networks running. We’ve separated the field team into two. That way if we have any health concerns, we need to quarantine only half of the team and can keep supporting our customers.

We’ve also created a daily health check app. We’re using it around the globe to find out if our team members are healthy. If they aren’t feeling healthy, we’re geared up to support them quickly and figure out if we need to isolate any other members of the team as a result.

My team and I have the benefit of seeing our headquarters go through and come out of lockdown. So as much as it’s tough for all of us right now, I keep reminding my team that we will get through lockdown and emerge into a new normal. However, for the moment we all need to sit tight and minimise our physical interaction.

Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre clinical and centre director Jen Ryckaert: Online therapy sessions and ‘‘QuaranTunes’’

At Raukatauri Music Therapy Trust, we provide services each week to more than 400 New Zealanders with special needs, such as autism, Down syndrome and dementia. Our therapists use musical activities to aid each client’s growth and development, while also helping manage lifechanging and anxiety-producing situations.

As for many of us, the last two weeks have been a confusing and overwhelming time for many of our clients. Music therapy can help bring a sense of normality and routine into life at home and continue to encourage, motivate and empower our clients, while also taking some pressure off parents and caregivers.

So keeping our services active has been extremely important to us and our Raukatauri community. As soon as level four appeared imminent we went to work figuring out how our therapists could help clients remotely.

Many of our clients now have their weekly sessions online, using instruments that they have at home combined with the creative use of household items. Others engage with their therapist through Raukatauri QuaranTunes – a free Facebook group for Raukatauri’s families.

On QuaranTunes, the music therapists post multiple videos each day – keeping clients engaged with physical activity, relaxation, literacy, communication and family fun.

Our therapists are doing a wonderful job of helping clients overcome this difficult period, giving them the chance to spend time with a familiar and friendly face, while offering weekly support that is both engaging and beneficial. Music brings much joy and happiness and we all need a little of that right now.

Loveblock Wines CEO Erica Crawford: Switch to machine harvesting and split shifts

As harvest begins, it’s business but not as usual. We are using a lot more machine harvesting and reduced hand picking down to two hectares. We have set up harvesters two-metres from the

operator, and we have split shifts.

All workers are now separated, essentially working alone on each vineyard and are in bubbles which contain only family and no other essential workers. We also housed one of a neighbouring winery’s shift bubbles at our woolshed smoko. Shifts are now staggered, no more than two people in lunch room and smoko with very strict roster and hygiene rules.

There is considerable opposition to wine being an essential business but thank heavens we can harvest the grapes. The fact of the matter is that Blenheim will die as a town without the wine industry. On the upside the crop this year is beautiful – more impressive than previous years and it’s almost as if Mother Nature is giving us something special in these trying times.

Aura Information Security GM Peter Bailey: Working from home attracts new criminals and security is paramount

Covid-19 has forced businesses to go digital. But as we work from home with potentially insecure wifi routers and embrace new online tools, we’re more at risk of being hacked.

Cyber criminals never play by the rules and it’s now a fertile ground for them to get in and wreak havoc. Cyber security needs to be paramount not only during lockdown, but once we adjust to our new digital normal too.

That’s why we’re providing support to businesses and making sure they can at least operate smoothly while the rest of the world is in chaos. We’re detecting weak spots and looking out for potential breaches so businesses can focus on what really matters.

The last thing any business needs right now is a ransomware attack that brings work to a grinding halt at a time when things are already difficult.

Richard Harding, chief executive officer of Tower Insurance: A new team to deal with insurance when finances are stressed

Our origins stretch back to 1869 so we’re one of a handful of New Zealand businesses that have been through the world wars and the Great Depression. So, as much as this pandemic is unprecedented, I keep reminding myself that our business and this country have been through world events on a similar scale.

Right now, my team and I are staying focused on Kiwis and keeping their homes, cars and contents safe and protected.

In response to Covid-19, we created a new team to help customers restructure their insurance if they are under financial pressure. Our goal is to make sure Kiwis can keep covering the things that are important to them, even if they are managing pressing financial needs.

We’re fortunate that we invested in technology over the past two years and we are able to work remotely at scale. In the space of a week, we shifted our business from Queen St to homes across Auckland.

It’s phenomenal to think about the rate of change my team are dealing with and all Kiwis are experiencing, and I think it’ll change how fast we think businesses can adapt in the future

Rose Stott, global head of people operations, TransferWise: Looking after workers

Extending work culture to the home office can only occur if you ensure your staff’s mental health is looked after.

Covid-19 brings social and wellbeing challenges, which is why we’ve taken time to put extra initiatives in place while everyone is working from home to keep everyone connected and positive.

This is clearly a very unsettling and challenging time. We felt it was more important than ever to come up with creative ways our team, who we call Wisers, can stay connected and feel supported while working from home.

Activities like #desperatehousewise virtual cooking class, or art workshops via Zoom not only make sure Wisers take breaks but also gives them a chance to be creative and catch up with the team to talk about things besides work.

We’re a pretty friendly bunch so having things in the diary like Friday virtual pub and an afternoon tea and biscuit break over video call keeps that important part of our culture alive and keeps us smiling.

Making sure Wisers are comfortably set up to work from home for an extended period was also a priority for us, so we’ve given everyone in the company a set budget to put towards setting up their own workspace at home.

It’s more important than ever to prioritise the wellbeing of our people. With supported and motivated Wisers, we’re able to continue business as usual.

Justin Blair cofounder, The Brand Outlet: Created new outlets for food destined for restaurants

One of the biggest casualties of Covid-19 is the hospitality industry and the closure of restaurants and bars has left local food producers with the issue of finding an outlet for their fresh produce.

Some fast thinking from Hawkes Bay-based online retailer The Brand Outlet developed a solution to deliver local grown fresh produce into the homes of thousands of people across the country.

The Brand Outlet had the marketing nous and the online distribution mechanism at its fingertips – the result was true Kiwi ingenuity with a new product born from the crisis within days.

The use of online shopping and contactless delivery will become the new normal, and his business is preparing to add thousands of new lines and category’s in the coming months.

We’ve seen a 300 per cent increase in web traffic in the past month – our monthly unique users now exceed 800,000 and we have 260,000 active customers on our database.

We have been blown away by the response from our customers to our essential health and wellness products and our newly launched grocery boxes. We believe this crisis has opened up a massive opportunity to show greater support for local manufacturers and suppliers.

New Zealand’s digital economy is just beginning.