Michael Barnett: The Cloud showed the world we mean business

The Cloud on Queen's Wharf. Photo / File

Opinion

The Cloud as the host to the Showcase of New Zealand Business during Rugby World Cup was an opportunity to reposition New Zealand in the eyes of our international visitors and of ourselves.

Our history and the lack of any compelling alternative positioning has seen our export recognition more likely to be associated with a pallet of milk powder, a side of lamb or a bottle of sauvignon blanc.

The team on The Cloud project knew that in fact, we do things differently here, and set out to reposition New Zealand accordingly.

The conclusion we wanted visitors to draw was that New Zealand is innovative, creative and driven by ingenuity.

We told a story on screen that had huge Waratahs stripping out large pine trees which in turn morphed into David Trubridge-designed lights and New Zealand's AC45 catamaran in its preparation for the America's Cup challenge screaming down the Auckland Harbour showing off our supremacy in boat building capability, and marine and associated technology advances.

The scene then transitioned into the architecture of the Peregrine Winery, and moved to a catwalk where we showed off world class design in women's fashion and finished with some outstanding examples of our sophistication in food and beverage.

The eight-minute film showed examples of tourism, aviation, marine, food and beverage, electronics, forestry and geothermal, to name a few, but in all cases it left many international guests and New Zealanders saying "Wow, I didn't know we did that here".

Our static displays supported the film and included items like the Yike Bike, Rex Bionics' skeletal frame which enables disabled people to walk, and the Martin Jetpack, plus the most incredible food and beverage offering under the banner "Taste of New Zealand".

A Nielsen research report, commissioned by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and released this month, confirms that visitors and New Zealanders drew the conclusion that we are innovative, creative and driven by ingenuity - and in fact we do things differently here.

Before visiting the Cloud most international visitors did not consider New Zealand to be innovative, and instead saw us as friendly, straightforward, hard working and laid back. After a visit to the Cloud, those initial core brand values were maintained but the ratings increased in other areas - for creativity by 73 per cent, innovation by 66 per cent and technologically advanced by 19 per cent. Importantly 60 per cent of visitors said they were likely to pursue commercial opportunities with New Zealand.

The survey summed up: The Cloud provided tangible evidence of innovation, and shifted New Zealand from not just a wonderful place to live, but also a nation producing high-end, edgy, aspirational products and services.

A broader sense of New Zealand business capability and thinking emerged: "Smart business by smart people."

But what are we going to do to leverage off this small gain and increase our research and development, investment attraction, learning and our exports? This is the real challenge.

The momentum gained from our successful hosting of the Rugby World Cup wasn't just at The Cloud. There was a whole range of other events and experience right across New Zealand that supported the proposition that New Zealand has excellent possibilities to do business and we are a great people to work with.

What we did at The Cloud began a repositioning of New Zealand as an innovative, creative and highly inventive nation. To leverage this success to a long-term advantage on the world stage will demand a set of attitude and behaviour changes that are consistent with that image.

For example, if a part of our response was success on the world stage, a good place to start would have to be an economic development strategy that reflected both national and regional direction and which included a major events strategy. Having an agency deliver this in a collaborative way with business and business organisations also makes sense, as does an agency to focus on those essential free trade platforms and protocols that bring countries and regions together.

So to convert our purpose into investment and business, government agencies that represent New Zealand around the world, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Tourism New Zealand, and others, will need to address the confused picture they present to the world. Some streamlining to make them more proactive, nimble and focused will be required.

And there is urgency for this to occur. It's time for our passion and energy to be converted into action not left as potential. The Government has to drive growth and a strengthened international competitiveness.

The unlimited potential for New Zealand to establish a new global brand reinforced by a tier of new and innovative exporting success stories was reinforced by the response to The Cloud.

The survey outcome is proof that The Cloud achieved the goal I set for it. I am heartened by that, but would get greater satisfaction if it leads to a clear, credible strategy to convert this small success into a resurgent effort to lift exports and attract new investment.

Yes, we need a fresh start, a new approach, a bold but practical global positioning exercise.

From The Cloud, we have the platform for launching that new start.

- Michael Barnett is chief executive of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce and was the chief executive for The Cloud on Queens Wharf for Rugby World Cup 2011.