New Zealand Entrepreneur of the Year 2011

                                                       
Bill Buckley - Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2011 Photo: from Buckley Systems website http://www.buckleysystems.com/
On September 14th I posted on Entrepreneurship and referred to the Ernst & Young resource entitled Nature or nurture.   Included in that publication was a photo list of 'some of the world's leading entrepreneurs'.
It would be good to see Bill represented on the EY website or in one of their publications in the future.

Mr Buckley will represent New Zealand in the next stage of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year competition at Monte Carlo in France in 2012. More information about the New Zealand category winners can be found on the EY New Zealand site at: http://www.ey.com/NZ/en/About-us/Entrepreneur-Of-The-Year.

You can also tap into interviews with entrepreneurs at:
http://www.ey.com/GL/en/About-us/Entrepreneur-Of-The-Year/Entrepreneurs-on---Leadership and this includes Diane Foreman CEO of NZ based Emerald Group.

His company Buckley Systems Ltd situated in Auckland, New Zealand, manufactures precision electromagnets and almost all their production is exported - mostly to the US, UK and Japan. Congratulations!

Don't forget to use the label list for other posts on entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship or use the Search facility - top left sidebar.

U.S. Trade Agenda

U.S. Chamber Applauds Senate for Advancing Trade Agenda | U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Interesting to read this report with apparent clear support for free trade agreements. New Zealand is currently negotiating six agreements but I think it is fair to say we don't see this kind of overt support.

Namibia and its links to New Zealand

Bunting for the Rugby World Cup at the New Zealand School of Export 2011. Photo: 14 September, 2011, Graeme Siddle.   Namibia's flag is second from the right.  The blue stands for the clear sky, the Atlantic Ocean, water, and rain. Red is said to represent Namibia's people reflecting their heroism and desire for equal opportunity. And white stands for peace and unity, with green symbolizing vegetation and agriculture.

As a result of Namibia's participation in RWC 2011, there is no doubt that more New Zealanders will recognise Namibia's flag than before.   But how much do we know about that country in south-west Africa as international trade professionals.
Connections between the two peoples appear to be very few and in the period 2006-2010 there were fewer than 200 visitor arrival in each year.   This contrasts with with over 30,000 visitor arrivals in the 2010 year ended June, from Namibia's near neighbour South Africa.

In fact it appears that on a business level there have been more connections than we realise - New Zealand has had a role in the development of the orange roughy and other deep-water fisheries in Namibian waters, and we have been involved in the post and telecommunications reform and training.  These links are described in the Country Brief published by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and which is available digitally at: http://tinyurl.com/3jeobjy    This  Exporter Guide to Namibia was written in preparation for Namibia's participation in Rugby World Cup 2011.   So if you are a rugby fan and want information on Namibia's games you will get that here too.

Another resource which might be useful if you are a business person interested in Namibia is Doing Business in Namibia  published by The World Bank and International Finance Corporation and available from: http://tinyurl.com/3jvs9s5

New Zealand is represented by a Consulate in Windhoek, but is not represented in New Zealand.

Exportersblog Audience

I thought some readers might be interested in this map of our audience from the past 7 days screengrabbed at 10.00 p.m. NZT on Friday September 16, 2011.  As has been commented before, readers from the US and New Zealand outnumber all others.  The most popular topics change frequently and range across posts made in different years.
There have been very few posts specific to South America or Africa and this could be a reason for a lack of readers from those continents.   Language does not seem to have prevented European and Asian readers from viewing posts in this week.
One could draw a line across the map and with the exception of NZ, it might be deduced that reading blog posts on exporting and international trade topics are a northern hemisphere preoccupation.

Comments anyone?

Entrepreneurship is alive and well

This year Ernst & Young have published a report on entrepreneurship under the title Nature or nurture?  Decoding the DNA of the entrepreneur.   The key findings of the report are:

1. Entrepreneurial leaders are made, not born (nurture not nature)
2. Entrepreneurship is rarely a one-off decision
3. Funding, people and know-how are the biggest barriers to entrepreneurial success.
4. Entrepreneurs share core or common traits.
5. Traditional companies can learn from entrepreneurial leaders.

The full report is available electronically  through the ELIS catalogue at:
http://ets.kohalibrary.com/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=1097
The writers of the report have described the DNA of the entrepreneurial leaders in the following diagram:

Diagram entitled The DNA of the entrepreneur model from Ernst & Young 2011 report p.15.

Like many of you I am interested in reading about companies who have begun exporting or who plan to export  in the near future.   I never fail to be impressed by the variety of products and approaches exhibited by New Zealand companies.

So I decided to explore in a non-scientific way how three NZ companies stacked up against the core traits in this model (the keywords in the brown circle on the outside of the model).   My sample of three was limited to articles recently clipped from the DominionPost newspaper describing three NZ companies. They were:

• Zeezee.com - merino clothing for children
• Radiola Aerospace - testing and calibrating navigation and landing instruments for aircraft
• Planet Green - possum skin golf gloves (possums are a furry pest)

The three companies showed the following core entrepreneurial traits: Resilience,Teamwork, Passion, Quality, Customer focus, Flexibility, Vision and Innovation.    The only two missing were Leadership and Integrity.   In a more scientific survey in which management and staff were interviewed and websites combed, these two traits may also have showed up.   In the sample articles the focus was more on the companies rather than on individual leaders.
The EY report concludes on p.24:
     Over the past decade, entrepreneurial leaders have played an increasingly important role in the global  economy.   Their ability to see opportunities in an uncertain environment, take calculated risks and be tenacious in turning ideas into successful ventures are crucial components of both job creation and the global economic recovery.
If our local companies and their leaders continue to match this DNA, we will certainly begin to make headway in our export-lead recovery.
  
  

International Literacy Day 2011

Today September 8th is International Literacy Day and the main focus on the link between literacy and peace.  On International Literacy Day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally.   UNESCO has information about this special day on their website at: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/education-building-blocks/literacy/advocacy/international-literacy-day/

Without literacy, international trade will not flourish and grow, so International Literacy Day deserves the support of all of us who are involved in international trade. UNESCO has organised what is called the E-9 Initiative for the nine most highly populated countries of the "South": Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan.  The E-9 Initiative is a forum for these nine high-population countries to discuss their experiences in education, exchange best practices and monitor progress on achieving Education for All (EFA). Since its launch in 1993, the E-9 network has also become a powerful lobby for EFA and South-South cooperation.

It is worth noting that this list also includes three of the BRIC nations which have fast growing economies  and also that New Zealand was one of the first of the so-called developed nations to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement with China and is currently involved in talks with India for an FTA.

A key question to be addressed in these India -NZ FTA negotiations  might be how we can help E-9 nations such as India to move out of this group with programmes that assist their efforts to achieve literacy.   Almost certainly the quality of the trade that ensues and the degree to which all involved can benefit from an FTA will be helped by basic literacy.   There is food for much thought here. 

Cheese Toasties and Exporting

During the period of the Rugby World Cup from 9th September to 23rd October the New Zealand School of Export is offering hospitality to exporters who wish to learn more about professional training for those involved in international trade.   Come out to Aokautere Park, Palmerston North and enjoy free cheese toasties and a 'cuppa.'   We would love to see you on any weekday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

To book a time for your visit please email the Director, Dr Romuald Rudzki on: rom@export.ac.nz or phone us on: 06-356-5656 ext.705.   We'll look forward to seeing you.   Before you come you may like to look at the School's website http://www.export.ac.nz/ and use the free information portal.

There is a map on the website at: http://www.export.ac.nz/contactus.htmland just so you know you are in the right place here is a photo of the sun-drenched entrance to the School

and here is the Director waiting to welcome you!  

This event has been approved by Leon Grice of the New Zealand 2011 Office.