KEY POINTS:
New Zealanders may think they own "clean and green" as a differentiator for our food and beverage industry - but from an Australian perspective,
Tasmania owns clean and green.
This is just one example of a raft of subtle regulatory, cultural and
economic differences that can cause problems for businesses looking to
expand across the Tasman, says the New Zealand Victoria Business Group
chairman Peter Biggs.
These can be daunting, so the group was created last year to help senior executives form relationships with others who have successfully set up across the Tasman and with politicians, decision-makers and key
transtasman business people.
Its management committee includes New Zealander Don Churchill, managing director of Fairfax Victoria, and Shona Bleakley, consul-general of New Zealand Trade & Enterprise.
"It's informal and personal," Biggs says of the group.
"We just set people up with people in Victoria who can help them do
business.
"It seems to be building a really terrific momentum - its got the
backing of the Premier and support from the city of Melbourne and from the State Government through Invest Victoria."
New Zealand and Victoria have similar populations and are each other's number one export destination.
The annual trade between the two is worth more than $5 billion.
But Biggs acknowledges it is "tough" for New Zealanders to break into
the competitive Victoria business scene "for all sorts of reasons".
"The Australian [business] culture, the union situation and the regulations are very different," he says.
"Australians will take you on aggressively if you are a competitor. Be
prepared to be hit and hit hard and ruthlessly."
New Zealanders need to be prepared to break through more hierarchy
and be resilient and persistent.
Those who don't come to Victoria prepared to "battle for the long haul"
and who aren't capitalised sufficiently will be faced with problems.
