The Middle East is a complex market with its cultural nuances and a different attitude towards how business is done, but it is also a market offering genuine high-value opportunities for New Zealand companies willing to persevere and navigate the intricacies of the market.

Fresh to the role of NZTE’s Regional Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), I had the opportunity to experience the realities of doing business in the Middle East when I joined the trade mission (led by Minister of Trade the Hon Tim Groser) to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in April.

This was my first exposure to the opportunities and challenges for New Zealanders doing business in the Middle East and I learnt a great deal.

Firstly the opportunities: New Zealand is viewed very favourably because of its neutral political stance, its image as a green and water-rich paradise, and the reputation of its public sector for efficiency, transparency and ease of doing business. And New Zealand businesses can capitalise on this. The Middle East is seeking solutions that will help it to educate, employ, house and provide health care for their rapidly growing and youthful population. They can afford the best, but they need more than that.

They also need solutions that recognise their particular cultural, social, political and environmental context. New Zealanders, perhaps because our size and distance tend to make us open to outside influences, understand that one size doesn’t fit all. Successful businesses in this region have found ways to adapt their products and services in response to local cultures and conditions.

The Middle East is eager for investment and they welcome businesses setting up partnerships and production units. And with a physical base and strong relationships in the Middle East, a New Zealand business will find itself connected to the rest of the world, using sophisticated logistics and distribution operations and via global capital markets.

The people we met were all extremely interesting, articulate, generous with their time, forgiving of our cultural naivety and very polite. Their sense of humour came through very strongly as did their respect for families, relationships and cultural traditions. It was clear that they see business relationships as long term and mutually beneficial. They are not in business for a quick buck.

Although being a woman was difficult in some respects (not being able to use the gym in Saudi Arabia, for example), I faced no barriers to my engagement with business people or officials. Some of the business organisations we met, especially in Bahrain and Kuwait, had women in very senior roles. And having to wear an abaya for several days in Riyadh meant packing was a breeze!

But as with all large, distant and complex markets, the Middle East also presents challenges. We experienced some of these firsthand during the mission, the scale of which reinforced logistical issues and underlined the importance of meeting local expectations. Following my visit to the Gulf region I wrote myself some “rules of engagement”, which I would like to share with you (see below).

Despite these challenges, I would strongly encourage New Zealand businesses to think about the Middle East as a place to seek long term, profitable and strategic business partners. The Saudis, Bahrainis, Kuwaitis and Emiratis I met were welcoming, generous and astute – and most definitely open for business.