Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Jim Sutton speech to Wgtn export seminar


Jim Sutton speech to Wgtn export seminar

Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce export seminar

Chamber chairman Barrie Saunders, chief executive Phil Lewin, Ladies and Gentlemen: thank you for the invitation to speak with you today.

Exporting is what drives wealth and creates jobs. Export industries are the lifeblood of a region and Wellington is no exception.

We need more companies to get into exporting, and to stimulate growth amongst our smaller and medium sized exporters ?because from small beginnings come big things!

A handful of examples?

Last year's Supreme Exporter of the Year Navman NZ had its beginnings in 1987 in a spare bedroom when a couple of mates got together to develop a marine electronics product. The company now exports more than $30 million worth of products annually.

Old Fashioned Foods, New Zealand's top exporter in 2000, started life in a Nelson kitchen with one man making steamed puddings to an old family recipe and selling them to local supermarkets.

Wellington has its own examples ? one of them is Formway Furniture.

This design lead company was a small manufacturing operation with annual revenue of less than half a million when Rick Wells bought the company in 1981. Today annual exports of its office furniture exceed $40 million and Formway Furniture is recognised as one of New Zealand's truly worldclass companies.

Vastly different products, but all these companies show that profitable and successful export businesses can be achieved from humble beginnings.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

Our relatively small companies have the can do attitude, ability and flexibility to respond to customer demands that many of their much larger international comeptitors don't. The past decade has also seen the rise of many other companies in the Wellington area that have a strong ICT, creative and intellectual focus? film, education, designer fashion, software, multimedia, consultancy ? companies from sexy, sunrise export industries who are creating jobs and generating wealth.

We are not, of course, forgetting the traditional sectors which led the way in integrating New Zealand into the global economy, and have performed with sustained excellence since the painful but necessary reforms of the 1980 budget.

Style, confidence and the ability to innovate are characteristics found in many of the new breed of export companies in this region.

Companies that perform well internationally not only create wealth and jobs, they help promote the region as a desirable place to live, work, study and run a business.

Auckland might have had the America's Cup, but look at what Peter Jackson, Weta and The Lord of the Rings have done for this region?not only have they made a blockbuster success, they have created an international showcase for the region's technical and filmmaking brilliance.

Creativity, innovation and technical excellence abound in this region and these are qualities that can be captured, commercialised and exported to the world.

There is innovation to burn in Wellington and New Zealand as a whole ? after all this is the country that nurtured the mind the split the atom, that invented the world's fastest motorcycle, electric fences, the disposable syringe, bungy jumping, the stamp vending machine, the child-proof medicine bottle.

>From the Government's point of view, we're doing what we can to help you: Trade NZ and Industry NZ are merging to form NZ Trade and Enterprise to provide business with a one-stop shop for services. A total of $73 million over four years has been allocated for a variety of measures that will help exporters. A significant chunk of that is for more resources for trade negotiations. That means more people here in Wellington and overseas to argue our case for better market access for our products.

That market access is critical ? without access for your products, you won't be able to sell them in key foreign markets.

Later today, ladies and gentlemen, you will hear from some of the region's other successful exporters. Use their experience and the abundance of assistance available to help turn your great ideas into great ventures and, if you're already exporting, to maximise your potential.

As I pointed out at the start of my speech, big things coming from small beginnings. Dare to give it a go and dare to excel ? on the global stage no less.


© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.