Waikato Students To Represent NZ In World Cup

Waikato Students To Represent New Zealand In World Cup

Waikato Students In Free Enterprise On Their Way To Barcelona

Auckland, 5 July 2004 - As part of the Innovation Festival 2004, students from Waikato Management School have been chosen to represent New Zealand at the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) World Cup in Barcelona, 22nd - 24th September, 2004.

At the SIFE New Zealand National Competition, the Waikato Management team was selected in a tight final race over students from Auckland University of Technology. Other prize winners were teams from Victoria University and from Canterbury University. The competition was judged by more than 40 corporate executives from various New Zealand companies.

Jens Mueller, SIFE NZ Executive Director and SIFE's Asia Regional Director says that the results from the national competition show the entrepreneurial strength that New Zealand has in its future business leaders.

"New Zealand's emerging managers show an outstanding talent to communicate their abilities to identify and pursue real-life business opportunities," says Mueller.
SIFE is supported by thousands of business leaders worldwide, to identify superior management talent early and to allow students to manage businesses outside the classroom.

Alan Williams, New Zealand Country Manager for Qantas was a first-time judge at the event and was very impressed with the quality of the students at the competition.

"This is an excellent forum for future business leaders to showcase their talents - and to place a strong focus on ethical and sustainable community work," says Williams.

Likewise Bill Wilkinson, partner at KPMG and host of this year's Auckland event was also full of praise for the overall standard of competition and ability demonstrated by the students.

"There is some enormous skill building that happened here today, and all of these students have a tremendous opportunity now to continue in practice what they have learned through SIFE, operating profitably with a strong regard for community needs."

Mueller also believes that New Zealand has a superb chance to reach the top at the World Cup in Barcelona.

"New Zealand students understand free markets better than in some other countries, and also understand the needs to balance business needs with community requirements. I'm confident that those abilities will be impressive to corporate judges at the world class level," says Mueller.
Executives from nearly 40 key New Zealand firms participated as judges of this years contest. Some of the key companies that participated were Bell Gully, Beattie Rickman, Scott Kindercare, Degussa, NZ Dairy Foods, The Warehouse, Hubbard's Foods, Hudson TMP, Pumpkin Patch, Avnet, Harcourts, Celentis, Department of Justice, LEK Consulting, Fonterra, KPMG, Qantas, Pohlen Kean, Gallagher Group, Gen-I and Endeavour Capital.

ENDS

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