Prosper: Embrace your inner ‘weird’
NZ’s business edge
Kiwi business has always been a bit different. We’re far away from the rest of the world and sometimes do things differently – we switch things around, use different materials, and we’re fantastic at innovating.
That’s how we see it at Buy NZ Made. The 1200-plus Kiwi businesses that make up the Buy NZ Made campaign are definitely ingenious and brilliant.
Covid-19 has put a spotlight on their talent. We recently launched a challenge to New Zealand businesses, manufacturers and producers to ‘‘embrace their weird’’ as we enter the economic recovery phase of Covid-19.
What’s great is that many New Zealand businesses have already stepped up to this challenge.
Almost as soon as the coronavirus crisis hit, numerous Kiwi firms started producing face masks and other protective gear.
Dannevirke company Metalform, better known for its engineered products and electronic machinery, immediately switched production to make protective seethrough face shields.
Production started soon after the lockdown began, and Metalform is now supplying face shields to district health boards in New Zealand and other enterprises overseas.
Other firms quickly started manufacturing face masks.
Among them, Petone headwear manufacturer Hills Hats opened a production line for face masks that are not only effective germ filters, but also come in fashionable colours and designs.
Hills’ designs have made masks less scary and turned a necessary health item into something friendly and fun, and Hills Hats now has a range of face masks almost as extensive as its lines of fedoras, trilbies and other headwear.
The health scare of the last two months has shown how quickly Kiwi firms can pivot and change direction to supply new products in response to need.
The lockdown and social distancing have also revealed the amazing foresight of many businesses working in digital areas.
They have highlighted the need for contactless services while showing how New Zealand companies are already leaders in this field.
Auckland company Modica Group, for example, is a global leader in messaging technology.
Modica invented the platform that supports the ubiquitous text reminders customers receive from their bank, dentist or doctor.
Created in New Zealand, Modica’s technology is now operating in 18 countries from a digital platform that can connect with every mobile device in the world.
It is technology that’s perfectly in tune with our Covid world.
Modica is just one of a growing number of local companies that are succeeding by providing essential digital services.
Meanwhile, other NZ Made-trademarked companies continue the tradition of manufacturing physical products with a creative, innovative edge.
A great example is Pt Chevalier company Aquacomb, which has created a totally new approach to water storage.
Aquacomb makes water tanks – honeycomb-shaped PVC modules that can be laid in the foundations of houses and buildings, to collect and store rainwater. These urban water ‘‘tanks’’ are a perfect solution for dry areas and their value is very evident in Auckland’s current drought.
All these businesses – Metalform, Hills Hats, Modica Group and Aquacomb – are a testament to Kiwi business being a bit ‘‘different’’.
In my view, it’s this quality of being different – some would say weird – that gives NZ business its edge.
Now we’re encouraging the next generation of Kiwi businesses to do the same. Now is a time that will reveal different, innovative companies; and I believe that they will show us the path to business success for the future.
The great news is that New Zealanders are ready to support you as you embrace new ideas. We know consumer behaviour has shifted, and local ownership and production are more important than ever to Kiwi consumers, who since 1988 have been able to identify such goods through the NZ Made trademark.
You can check if your business is eligible and sign up for the NZ Made trademark at buynz.org.nz.
It’s this quality of being different that gives NZ business its edge.
Ryan Jennings is the executive director of Buy NZ Made