How would you describe the New Zealand identity?
New Zealand is the keyhole to the new dominant trade continent, the Pacific Ocean. The world also wants and needs slice of what we have: Pure, Clean, Green, Smart with relatively relaxed attitude. This is our brand.
We are also slowly realising we are actually Pacific peoples; modern maritime traders, craftspeople, innovative and disproportionately entrepreneurial. We are getting browner and less Euro centric by the decade; this is good thing, I encourage it.
What will be the country’s next major challenge?
Our country is at crossroads, we lack vision and fail to see the occasion. We have to shift from ‘me’ mentality to ‘we’ one… immediately. We are in unique position on the global stage to demonstrate the change we are all collectively seeking. It fits our global position, brand and requires support of activities that sustain our identity.
The world is facing the integrated challenges that embrace food, energy and socio political unrest. Our proposition to meet this challenge is simple. successful brand needs real clean green growth which will drive more economic wellbeing.
To achieve this, we need good dose of courage and daring mixed with our ‘know how’ ‘can do’ approach. We also need to unleash this potential through cultural renaissance that reshapes our attitudes, collective and individual intelligence, and practices.
Being smart means being prepared to go deeper. We will become multilingual which will help us appreciate other’s ways of seeing the world and ourselves. Our business style will learn more about nurturing intergenerational relationships and our hosting (tourism) will be world renowned. We will slowly adopt (by being more Pacific) an indigenous attitude of staying, belonging and nurturing that which feeds us.
We will have to work hard at ensuring we maintain the serious business of having good time. Being reliable, honest and good traders with high quality green products is the essence of what the market wants. However most important is that none of this will be of any value unless the experience of New Zealand matches the brand. Strong, vibrant, healthy, soil, water, families and communities… these are the true indicators of our success. M
