Owen Glenn and Greg Whittred: Raising new breed of superstars

Entrepreneurs could one day be as revered as our sporting heroes. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Whenever New Zealand sporting superstars are triumphant - particularly in the face of overwhelming odds - it tends to capture the imagination of the nation like nothing else. That "Mayweather v Pacquiao" trait - the belief that a tiny nation like ours can emerge from the shadows to hook a punch and fell giants of sport - is ingrained in this country.

What would New Zealand be like, though, if the nation were similarly enthralled by a very different but equally important kind of "superstar"? Imagine a New Zealand in which creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship were as as valued and celebrated as our sporting achievements.

A New Zealand in which these entrepreneurial capabilities were nurtured and could be applied to transforming our economic, cultural and social landscape just as the Black Caps rewrote our global cricketing credentials a few short months ago.

What would it take to empower the next generation - the students sitting in our education system right now - to reorient their fundamental beliefs and celebrate more than just rugby, netball, league and cricket superstardom?

The problem is not the students themselves ... most know more about the world of technology and have a greater appetite and energy for change and complexity than the rest of us. What many don't know, however, is how to unleash that potential. Doing so requires the ability to create or recognise great ideas, no matter where they come from, and an understanding of how to take those ideas from concept to reality - perhaps, ultimately, even to market.

Of course, programmes to develop such an enterprising mindset do exist, and a number of the world's leading universities have moved, or are moving, in this direction. The University of Auckland was last year identified as one of the five most entrepreneurial universities operating in challenging conditions by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which spent two years scouring the world to compile its authoritative list.

The phrase "challenging conditions" hints at the hurdles we face. In the New Zealand context, it means geographical isolation, a lack of venture capital and a culture that is not supportive of entrepreneurial and innovative activity.

It's important to note that the MIT report describes the decade-old Spark entrepreneurial programme, run by students themselves, as the "beating heart" of innovation here. Staff and students from every part of the university collaborate to convert great ideas into social and commercial ventures, and it is impressive that Spark has seen the emergence of more than 120 student-led businesses which have raised more than $200 million in equity funding, selling products and services into more than 30 countries and creating more than 400 jobs.

Inspirational stuff indeed, but more is needed. Imagine unleashing the potential of not just a few hundred students at a time but of several times that number. Picture a reality where one-in-five of Auckland's 10,000-plus cohort of students graduate each year with the ability to recognise, understand and develop innovative ideas that could take on the world.

But why stop there? What could happen if all the students in every university in the country had the same opportunity to complement their highly specialised training with a Spark-like journey?

The University of Auckland is about to take the first plunge into those uncharted waters. From next year, a series of never-before-seen initiatives aimed at creating a generation of more enterprising graduates will begin.

Backed by all the University of Auckland deans, the initiative will be introduced into the formal curriculum programmes across undergraduate and postgraduate studies.

In other words, every single University of Auckland student - from arts, engineering and science to education, law, architecture and medicine - has the option to join those at the Business School in being introduced to creative thinking, idea creation and prototyping, opportunity identification, market evaluation and validation, IP protection, business models and venture funding, among others.

It is not simply about start-ups and business creation, though. The initiative is as much about creating sustainable solutions to intractable social, cultural and environmental challenges as it is about tackling economic ones.

At its heart is innovation and value creation in the widest possible sense - in large and small, profit and not-for-profit, Maori and non-Maori, social and business ventures alike.

Along the way, we will be looking for support and expertise from those who share our vision. All going well, the scheme will launch next year and set its sights on further growth.

Sir Owen Glenn is one of the University of Auckland's major benefactors, having supported the building of a world-class Business School, PhD scholarships and various other initiatives. Professor Greg Whittred is Dean of the University of Auckland Business School.