Investor Conference shows NZ is investment ready
Investor Conference shows New Zealand is investment ready
Auckland, 11 February 2003: New Zealand
business have been urged to sell
their message more
strongly to the international investment community at
the
Investment Regatta which closed this afternoon.
Over a dozen top New Zealand and global business leaders
- including
former head of Apple Computers and Pepsi Co
John Sculley, the first
woman network president in
television history Kay Koplovitz, and Sir
Anthony
O'Reilly, executive chairman of Independent News and
Media,
among others - cited New Zealand's innovative high
tech companies and
entrepreneurial spirit as key factors
in our investment readiness.
But in recognising
the opportunities and talent in New Zealand, the
group
also identified a number of areas New Zealand needs to
further
develop to improve its investment profile.
Sir Anthony O'Reilly said that innovative businesses
need to be more
forthright in publicly celebrating their
successes. "New Zealand has
achieved a lot more than it
boasts and understatement is the enemy in
the world of
capital markets."
Kay Koplovitz suggested using New
Zealand's global network of one
million expat Kiwis is
essential to extolling the virtues and successes
of New
Zealand business.
"For New Zealand companies it is
true that the outreach you need to make
with investors is
[not only about] bringing people here to see the
country
and how beautiful it is, but to take the story to them to
show
how [New Zealand companies] are better."
Dr
Hermann Hauser, Director of Amadeus Partners and co-founder
of Acorn
Computers, also believed in the importance of
networking and recognised
the need to develop clusters
and networks both locally and globally to
develop
innovative and successful companies. "If you ask anyone
in
Silicon Valley, it is the people network that counts -
the ability to
ring the right person to solve the right
problem."
Ross Campbell, acting CEO of Investment
New Zealand said the conference
- which lasted from
midday to midnight on Monday and ran on Tuesday
morning -
has been an outstanding success.
"We've had a
superb line-up of business leaders from New Zealand
and
around the world, more than 60 potential investors
and over 200
delegates. It's been so exciting to see
their enthusiasm and respect for
New Zealand's innovative
businesses. There will be a number of
investment
opportunities which arise from this conference, but like
all
good things, this will take time."
Around 60
overseas investors mingled with numerous emerging New
Zealand
businesses at the two day conference. The aim of
the regatta was to
bring together prominent global and
New Zealand business leaders to
explore opportunities for
partnership and investment in New Zealand
innovation.