MRSNZ and AMRONZ to join

20 August 2013

Media Release

Market Research Society NZ and Association of Market Research Organisations NZ to join forces in 2014

The two existing NZ research industry bodies have voted overwhelmingly to join forces in a new united industry body that will launch early 2014.

Spencer Willis, President of Market Research Society NZ; “New Zealand is really too small for two research industry organisations and we are pleased with the outcome of our extensive feasibility and consultation process. We feel that we can function more effectively as an industry organisation if we are able to bring together the companies both large and small as well as the various bodies that have a stake in the industry’s future success.” The intention is to evolve the research industry organisations to encompass a much broader range of researchers, suppliers to research, customers and the wider market intelligence community together under one banner.

Rob Clark, Chairman of Association of Market Research Organisations NZ; “The working group tasked with examining this opportunity was extremely mindful of the global trends impacting on both industry and government decision marking. The old definitions of research are changing with customers gathering information from increasingly diverse sources. The NZ research industry is already responding to that at an individual company and researcher level, but for some time we have felt that our separate industry bodies weren’t really addressing those emerging needs.”

It is anticipated that the new entity will come into being early 2014 and the existing bodies will be wound up with the memberships, assets and intellectual property of each transferring to the new, yet to be named, body. The new body will be led by a combination of the executive teams of MRSNZ and AMRONZ in a transitional board whose job it will be to get the new organisation established and focused on meeting both members’ and customers’ needs.

MRSNZ was established in 1962 as a professional body and AMRONZ was established in 1984 to service the needs of some of the research companies. In recent years the organisations have worked closely together on many important initiatives giving both organisations some confidence to float the possibility of closer working relations.

“There are a number of existing, important projects on the table which will continue now and into the future so to a certain extent it’s business as usual for the next few months for the staff of both organisations. Under the transitional board in 2014 we’ll be looking to break some new ground particularly with respect to broadening the membership base and activating new projects that meet the needs of both new and existing members.” Rob Bree, Executive Director, AMRONZ.

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