Watch what the smart money is doing

PRESS RELEASE - For Immediate Release

26th June 2012

Tomorrow's Business – Watch what the smart money is doing…

With the recent debate regarding green innovation and the conclusion of the Rio 20 Earth Summit it seems like a good time to discuss the future of tomorrow’s business. Tomorrow’s Business is a series of talks and seminars that kicks off in Queenstown in September with Aussie icon and visionary Dick Smith coming to Queenstown to share his insights into the future. Host for the event is business journalist Rod Oram who will bring a New Zealand perspective to the discussion, drawing on his knowledge of our economy and environment.

"New Zealand is falling far behind on issues such as innovation and sustainable development as was evident at the UN's sustainability summit in Rio de Janeiro in June. Our government's position was weak and only one senior NZ business person attended the corporate sustainability forum which was part of the summit.” Oram said. "Of all the developed countries in the world, we are the most dependent on our natural environment for how we earn a living in the global economy," Rod says. "Yet, our government and many businesses still talk of a trade-off between the two, which results in us doing both badly. Worse, they are dismissive of the profound shift in business opportunities and strategies, consumer behaviour and government policies which are radically recreating the global economy. In contrast, a raft of major corporates unveiled at the forum ambitious plans to play to these epoch-defining sustainability issues."

Andrew Martin who publishes a blog on business, energy and economic trends who is organising the Tomorrow’s Business event said "what Oram is saying makes sense. If you want to see the future, it is simply a matter of following the smart money. When we see the likes of Richard Branson, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and a significant number of major corporations investing in the innovation and sustainability space, it becomes apparent where the future lies. Branson is directing his profits to the search for carbon-light business models as well as developing bio fuels. He has also helped establish The Carbon War Room which harnesses the power of entrepreneurs to unlock scalable market-driven solutions to climate change. In north America, one of the the world’s most successful investors Warren Buffett has placed his bets by making his single biggest investment to date ($34 billion) in Burlington Northern and Santa Fe (BNSF) the second largest freight network in North America. Buffett has also invested significantly in GE which is leading the way in alternative energy systems. Bill Gates is a strong advocate for energy innovation and has thrown billions of dollars at funding energy research and developing cleaner energy systems and agricultural innovation.”

“Tomorrow’s Business will not be the same as it was ten years ago or even last year. Constrained natural resources, environmental degredation, global financial instability and unsustainable debt levels across most of the world’s developed nations has changed the playing field.” Martin said. The Tomorrow’s Business forums are designed to get people thinking about the future and motivate them to look towards new horizons and leave old school thinking behind.”

It will be exciting to see how Dick Smith engages with Rod Oram and vice versa Martin said. Rod has more than 30 years’ experience as an international business journalist having worked at the Financial Times of London and has a sound understanding of economic environment in New Zealand. Rod is trustee of the Sustainable Business Network and the Hikurangi Foundation, an incubator for community contributions to our low carbon future. Smith is a well respected businessmen and entrepreneur in Australia and mixes with many of the worlds leading business leaders and academics. Dick will be supported by young New Zealander of the year Sam Johnson.

Proceeds of this event go toward the Queenstown Lakes community initiative Shaping our Future which is a collabrative community engagement project to help shape the district's future.

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