2013 Articles

By Alexander Speirs Jeremy Webb, Digital Influence Strategist and Head of Social at Ogilvy Public Relations sought to buck the trend on social media discussion in his address to the 2013 China Business Summit, giving tips on making a brand – not breaking it. “Social media in China is enormous,” said Webb. “95 per cent of those living in tier 1 …

By Brierley Penn “China remains our major market in education, but we are not at our peak,” according to Charles Finny, Chairman of Education NZ. In the past, New Zealand’s market for inbound students from China had followed a boom and bust cycle, with the latest peak around the 2002-03 period. Finny said that his organization was trying very hard …

By Brierley Penn “Think global, but act local,” said Christopher Luxon, of Air NZ, citing the need to have intimate knowledge of individual markets in order to be internationally successful. In 2013, then CEO of the airline was building a focus on using local marketing to connect to customers, recognizing that a one size fits all approach can never be …

By Brierley Penn In 2012, China became the largest outbound market of any in the world, growing 40 per cent relative to the 2011 period. In the next 12 months, China had become the second most important travel market for New Zealand, said Kevin Bowler, CEO of Tourism NZ, with Chinese visitors to NZ spending $645m each year. However, Bowler …

By Brierley Penn “New Zealand brand perception has been created over the past 100 years,” said Marco Marinkovich, CEO of Creative Bank at the 2013 China Business Summit. “Perception is reality.” “If I said Ronald Regan, you would think Watergate. If I said Bill Clinton, you would think Monica. If I said Lance Armstrong, you would think drug cheat.” It …

By Tim Groser First, I would like to congratulate the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, NZ Inc and all the agencies and sponsors for putting this event together. I know and have worked with many of you on the New Zealand side over the years either on the China relationship or closely related matters. Many of you are genuine China specialists. …

By Brierley Penn Cathy Quinn, Chair of Minter Ellison Rudd Watts, shared her success strategies for Chinese investment transactions in New Zealand at the China Business Summit this morning. Most importantly, she reminded the audience that it is vital to both understand and invest in your relationship with Chinese counterparts. “We’re the little guys, so we need to understand how …

By Brierley Penn “I think that we are world class in manufacturing and in food safety, but we have to lift our game,”said Theo Spierings, CEO of Fonterra, at today’s China Business Summit, held in Auckland. “We have to become the NASA of food safety and quality.” Spierings brought a message of collaboration and unity in rebuilding New Zealand’s reputation …