24 August 2011

Nearly 90% of Kiwis say pure image gives NZ global trade advantage

Nearly 90 per cent (86%) of New Zealanders think sustainability – and use of the 100% Pure brand – provides the country with an important competitive advantage when trading in global markets.

These findings form part of the nationwide ShapeNZ poll of nearly 1,300 New Zealanders for the NZBCSD Vision 2050 Project.

In addition, the poll shows that more than a third (39 per cent) think sustainability is very important in global markets, while only 11 per cent say it has little importance and 3 per cent say it is not important at all.

While the 100% Pure brand is acknowledged as a key source of competitive advantage, a significant number of respondents (45 per cent) still think New Zealand doesn’t live up to the brand.

The research was commissioned by the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development in support of its major Vision 2050 research project – which looks at how New Zealand can successfully transition to a world with a population that will increase from 6 to 9 billion over the next 40 years.

Vision 2050 project manager, Jamie Sinclair, says New Zealand’s population is expected to nearly double over this period, and mapping ways in which New Zealanders and people globally “live well” within the resources of the planet is expected to identify significant business opportunities.

“When it comes to managing our businesses and positioning ourselves to lift the quality of life in a world where the population grows significantly and resources remain constrained, it’s encouraging to know New Zealanders understand the importance of sustainable behaviour to our trading future,” Mr Sinclair says.

The survey shows farm owners and managers are the occupational group with the strongest belief that sustainability is important for overseas trade (77 per cent rate it “very important”).

“Agriculture has a huge role to play in moving us towards a more sustainable future.

“There are amazing export opportunities globally for New Zealand agriculture and other industries based on clean technology and sustainable resource use, but we obviously need the right thinking and buy in from industry to embrace them,” Mr Sinclair says.

The Vision 2050 project involves companies nationwide and will host a summit on 30 August at which chief executives will work through four hours of “visioning”. The project, which also involves a core group of 35 Future Leaders, will report in December.

Further ShapeNZ research to determine how New Zealanders see the future has been commissioned for Vision 2050.

About the ShapeNZ survey:

The survey was carried out in July and included 1297 respondents. To provide a representative sample, the respondents were weighted by age, gender, personal income, ethnicity, region and party vote in the 2008 election. The survey has a maximum margin for error of +/- 2.7 per cent.

The questions referred to in this release were:

How important do you think sustainability is in providing New Zealand with a competitive advantage in global markets ( for example, in spirit of 100% Pure brand campaign)

A. Very important: 38.6%
B. Important: 47.3%
C. Little importance: 11.1%
D. Not important at all: 2.9%

Generally, do you think New Zealand lives up to its 100% Pure overseas marketing message?

A. Totally: 2%
B. Mostly: 52.7%
C. Slightly: 30.9%
D. Not at all: 14.4%

About Vision 2050

The Vision 2050 Project one of the most important research projects by the NZBCSD in the past 12 years. It involves companies working together to develop a road map towards a New Zealand in 2050 which has about eight million people living well within the constraints of the planet.

The project will explore what the critical changes for business will be and propose what parts business, government, society will lead and what parts will require a collaborative approach. The intention is to create the pathway from our current position to our desired future state

A full report Vision 2050 report will be published in December.

ENDS

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