Taking it to the World
The invention of number 8 wire has entered into the NZ lexicon, as a symbol of the ingenuity and resourcefulness of Kiwis'. Those qualities are very much alive and well in Aotearoa New Zealand. See some of the recent examples of how NZ has set the standard for the rest of the world.
Machine shop of the future
United Machinists is a manufacturing exporter that use digital to supercharge their export success. Learn how they use digital tools to plan jobs for overseas customers and keep their team organised. And on the sales front, find out how LinkedIn has helped them identify big opportunities overseas.
Refill revolution
In the same way Greta Thunberg sparked a school climate movement by sitting outside Swedish parliament with a banner, two Kiwi women have started their campaign against single-use packaging with a small stall outside a refill store near Nelson.
Abbie Tebbutt, marketing manager of local beverage company Chia Sisters, was offering fruit juices on tap in front of the GoodFor store in Appleby near Nelson on Sunday.
Beside her, Pic's Peanut Butter brand manager, Kate Robertson, had $20 glass jars of peanut butter, that consumers could bring back clean and refill for $15.
The pop-up stall was their “first stab” at growing the Refill Revolution campaign they developed with former Pic's employee, Caitlin Attenburrow, which launched last month, aimed at shifting consumer, retailer and business behaviour towards refilling nationwide.
Te Pae Tawhiti
Wakatū is a values-driven Māori incorporation based in Nelson. Our commercial operations are spread across Te Tauihu, the top of the South Island, from where we export premium wine, seafood, fruit and natural fruit bars. Our 4000 or so owners belong to the whānau of 4 iwi: Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Rārua, Ngāti Koata, and Te Ātiawa. Wakatū’s purpose is to preserve and enhance our taonga for the benefit of current and future generations. We can look back through 500 years of our history, and want to look 500 years into the future, too. Te Pae Tawhiti is what we call Wakatū’s 500-year intergenerational vision.
Kids riding shotgun
Kids Ride Shotgun saw a big opportunity overseas after creating its Shotgun mountain bike seat. Co-Founder Dan says they invested heavily in understanding Amazon, attended key international trade shows, and hired their first salesperson not long after validating the product in New Zealand.
“We tried to skip quite a few steps and go to the Northern Hemisphere as quickly as we could. A lot of export businesses would start here and go to Australia before going to the next (market). We went from New Zealand to 8 other markets at once, which is against every piece of advice!”
The company's clear, cohesive brand has played a big part in its success offshore.
Manukora honey: lessons in reverse retailing
Since it launched in 2015, honey business Manukora has built a solid online customer base in North America where 90% of its sales are through digital channels such as Amazon and Shopify. The company has used the learnings it gained to expand its offering into bricks-and-mortar stores, devising a pricing strategy, choosing geographic locations for its retail sales, assessing product-market fit and understanding what really matters to its customers.