An editorial partnership between NZTE and year-old publication IN-Business has been signed to ensure the continuation of the export focused content that made bright New Zealand’s most read business magazine.

In October, the 17,000 bright subscriber base will receive copies of IN-Business magazine with retail distribution taking the total to well over 20,000 copies.

NZTE CEO Tim Gibson said he was happy that their international perspectives are to continue in print.

“NZTE will provide ongoing editorial content about key markets and ways of doing business internationally.

“Tim Collins, publisher of IN-Business, is keen to see the magazine’s mix of inspiring stories about New Zealand businesses with international aspirations grow, and we look forward to helping him do that,” he said.

Collins said he looked forward to developing the NZTE partnership and making the most of the tough economic environment.

“Now more than ever business decision makers need to be informed and inspired,” he said.

“Support for our magazine has grown dramatically over the last 12 months, far more than any other national business magazine. That’s probably because we put readers first – we give them what they’re interested in, real stories about real people – and we don’t just feed them lazy syndicated features.”

Collins had fighting words for the large media industry incumbents.

“We’re not afraid of the old school giants who act like they own media in this country, business readers here deserve better.”

With its roots in Wellington, IN-Business’s expansion into the rest of New Zealand begins with the October issue featuring Jeremy Moon, Bob Jones, Rod Drury, Pattrick Smellie, Tim Pankhurst, Bruce Sheppard, Ganesh Nana and friends.

However, glitzy functions aside, it can hardly be denied: People is what it is all about. This isn’t a new sentiment, but one that seems to be oft-forgotten. The people in your business, the ones who promote, support and invest in it, and the ones you sell your products or services to. This is the most important element in any transaction, and it’s also what makes business fun!

There’s an email forward that’s doing the rounds at the moment. It tells the story of Charles Plumb, a US jet pilot in Vietnam, who, after 75 combat missions was shot down and ejected into enemy hands. Years later, after surviving 6 years in a communist camp, he was approached by a man in a restaurant: “He walked over to my table, looked down at me, pointed his finger in my face and said, “You’re Captain Plumb.”?I looked up and I said, “Yes sir, I’m Captain Plumb.”?He said, “You flew jet fighters in Vietnam. You were on the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down. You parachuted into enemy hands and spent six years as a prisoner of war.” I said, “How in the world did you know all that?”?He replied, “Because, I packed your parachute.”

One of our most enjoyable goals here at IN-Business, is to seek out and highlight some of these truly inspirational people who pack our parachutes every day, folk who are everywhere, quietly making sure our businesses are the best they can be.

We’ve got some great profiles of inspirational people in this issue, from our covergirl Sarah Trotman to HRINZ CEO Beverley Main. Bill Gosling, founder of the … gives us a few insights too. PM John Key obviously gets the message as well, we’ve seen him out and about at a few Wellington business events of late.

While we’re on the topic of people and networks, I’ve started my social media/online networking ‘roadtest’ this issue, the first in a series we’ll be running about this new phenomenon. If you are wondering how it can help you in your business, follow my journey to find out more. I hope it will be useful!

Enjoy the read, send us your feedback and do spare some time this month to think about who’s packing your parachutes!

New Zealand is full of brilliant, forward thinking people, with innovative ideas. We wanted to examine this notion of the ‘futurist’, the person or business that has the idea FIRST, and puts their neck on the line to make it happen. So the theme of Issue 8 is thought leadership. What does it take to be a thought leader? What does that even mean? We have been inspired by the stories of ordinary kiwis with extraordinary ideas, so here is a magazine to showcase the talent and determination it takes to be on the cutting edge.

Want to get in front of thousands of business people, in Wellington and nationwide? Give us a call today.

Old habits and new announcements

Much has been made of New Zealand’s so-called ‘Tall Poppy Syndrome”. We slash down high-achievers, criticise the successful and trip anyone who’s just a bit too big for their boots. Humbleness, modesty and simpering meekness are considered virtues, any kind of pride in ones own success is not.

A little exaggeration, maybe. But if we are nailbitingly honest, there is something to it, isn’t there. From academic achievers who do a little too well at school, to those daring to seek international acclaim, and even the occasional sports star who excels, we could really do better than applying our usual labels, gossip and ‘kiwi clobber’.

I’m not advocating bare knuckled competition where dog-eat-dog becomes the mantra, but a little ‘its’ good to win’ can’t hurt. Bring back a school system that doesn’t flatten the playing field into a slippery slope of underachievers. Celebrate and support those who do well, whether they remain in the small pond of New Zealand water or dare to venture overseas. And then allow them to shine, without envy or parochial speculation.

So in this edition we celebrate some towering poppies, by looking to the Wellington Gold awards. We want to congratulate everyone involved, whether nominated, entered, or supporting a business to get there, and we offer an unashamed extra round of applause to all the winners, you deserve the limelight.

On a different note, I’d also like to introduce a few changes afoot for IN-Business. We’ve embraced some new technology which saves paper and ink, (go to www.urlofezinehere.co.nz) and we’ve also chosen to support several up and coming Wellington events. Stay tuned for all you need to make the most of each one.

You may also have noticed that editor Tim Collins has shrunk a few inches and is now sporting a crop of longer blonde hair. Just kidding! As of recently I’ve inherited Tim’s proverbial shoes. Yes, I know I’m not your conventional ‘businessman’; age, sex and even height are working against me a little, I may drink green tea instead of long blacks, and I will never understand the need for a blackberry, but I’m certainly passionate about business. I started the first of many businesses at age 12, and I’ve been physically incapable of not wanting to hear more about new ventures since. So if you must imagine me as a suited middle-aged man feel free, but I guess I think that the non-conventional shape I come in serves to reinforce a message we at IN-Business try hard to promote. Business comes in all shapes and sizes. It’s a lifestyle, essential to our economy, and should be enjoyable!

Contact me with your thoughts, opinions and comments, give me your critiques and compliments. Maybe I’ll even shout you a green tea.

Nadine Isler

Editor IN-Business Magazine

Frank Yukich (Montana Wines Founder) quietly delivered a gem on Campbell Live the other evening, I bet you missed it, I nearly did and I was actually watching the program.  The show focused on the Marlborough wine region and on Sauvignon Blanc in particular. Lucky for me I caught the end of the interview with Yukich who planted the first Sauvignon Blanc grapes near Blenheim in the late 1970’s.

Back then, who was to know that the wine produced in Marlborough from this grape variety would become world famous?   Not many Kiwi’s had even heard of Sauvignon Blanc in 1979, yet today New Zealand produces over 150,000 tonnes per year and 90% of that huge amount is produced in Marlborough.  
Campbell claims that Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc has done what the All Blacks couldn’t by beating France in Britain. And he could well be right, this wine has done more to put New Zealand on the international map than notable exports like lamb, butter, Kiri Te Kanawa and maybe even the All Blacks.

Yukich comes across as a humble man with that Southern weathered look about him, clearly a man who has worked hard all his life. I wasn’t listening that carefully to the interview and have to admit I’m no wine buff but my ears pricked at the very end when Yukich succinctly summarised his vision and his approach to business success;

 “In business you have to dream

And if you are going to dream you need a plan

And when you have a plan you have to act

And to act you must believe.”

And his vision was also compelling and simple;

 “Wines from here will become world famous”

The new grape, which turned out to be ideally suited to New Zealand, was not immediately successful. Three quarters of Yukich’s first crop (over 1,000 acres) died and had to be replanted. These were lean times when New Zealand wine had little or no reputation overseas and at home Kiwis were more likely to be drinking Aussie reds or Chateau Cardboard. Once the sauvignon vines started to produce grapes, Yukich and other winemakers still needed to make good wine and convince distant markets to take them seriously. They needed to keep cash flowing in difficult early days and to scale up to meet market demand when it finally arrived. Needless to say, without a dream of producing the world’s best Sauvignon Blanc, the ability to plan and the commitment to act – this may never have happened. It wasn’t clear though if the ‘belief’ existed from the start or if it grew over time.

There is nothing like achievement for building belief. Even in tough times completing milestones feels good, the confidence that comes with achievement makes next steps comprehensible, even inevitable; achievement could well be a drug. If it is, it’s a drug that getting hooked on can build belief beyond religious or political ideologies.

Dreams can be hazy, abstract, confusing, scary, exciting and hugely enjoyable. They take us places we might otherwise never go and tap into levels of consciousness that unleash surprising power. As Yukich knows, the power to act and to keep acting is key and not necessarily sticking with the original plan. Now more than ever those of us in business know we have to adapt plans to suit changing conditions.  During challenging times businesses cannot afford to batten down the hatches in the hope that things will get better, we need to revise plans and believe in ourselves and our people, but most importantly to believe in the value we offer customers and in our determination to deliver.

I wonder is there room in our crowded political landscape for yet another political group? Call it the Achievement Party. We already have Act, a bit too right leaning for many of us but to be fair to Rodney Hide and Co, they get on with stuff, it’s as though they feel pressure to live up to their name.

I’d vote for The Achievement Party if it did likewise.

Well done to the Wellington Chamber of Commerce (and sponsors Sheffield) for hosting breakfast with John Key last week.
The fact that the Te Papa venue was full was hardly surprising; all were keen to see the new PM in the flesh and more importantly to hear his plans for action, directly. And he delivered what most expected, frank, thorough and often off the cuff views on the current economic situation; interspersed with disarming anecdotes. We got stories about correspondence with school kids and encouraging reasons why New Zealand is better off than most developed countries. Of course we also got the National Party line, but with a beguiling and friendly delivery. Clearly a nice bloke, smart and driven but also genuine, earnest and infectiously optimistic.

Chatting to some of the huge crowd (350+) afterwards the general assessment was positive;
- “good guy, makes good sense and has a good grasp of the complex situation we’re in”,
Good, encouraging, even reassuring, in these uncertain times we need a safe pair of hands and JK, (how has he avoided this nickname and comparisons to the former All Black winger?), looks like he is a guy we can rely on. Solid in defence but reads the game well and not afraid to back himself and go for the line.

So, he soothed us, charmed us and encouraged us, but unfortunately he stopped short of inspiring us. Why? Because he didn’t listen to us. In fact he didn’t even pretend to be interested in the views of the 350 business people (and government officials) present. If he was – surely he would have invited a few questions.

I can hear the explanations now (even though none were offered), “logistically it would have been difficult to manage questions from such a large crowd”, “ tight schedule did not allow time for Q+A” etc. Sorry but it smacked of government knows best and was disappointing.

10 to 15 minutes of Q+A would have give him (and the attendees) a good sense of the ‘mood’ of the Wellington business community. How else does this man of the people, know the people? How does he know what we are thinking?  Perhaps from the media; ahem – not entirely a reliable source, perhaps from the letters that he personally replies to; or from listening to advice from his officials. Mmm, it seems to me that JK may need some help if he is to avoid becoming detached, ignorant and oblivious to real people and real issues.

He could start by inviting questions and listening to them carefully; listening for underlying  concerns behind them, perhaps even teasing them out a bit  and then gauging audience interest in the answers.

Whatever about intentions to get rid of “Hugging polar bear” programmes, instead prioritising “cost effective initiatives”, JK should really know what business people think about these changes.

He was not clear which programmes fit into the polar bear hugging category, but at a guess he was alluding to some of the previous government’s sustainability initiatives that were canned recently.  So much for New Zealand’s world leading aspirations; out go the Carbon Neutral Public Sector and Govt3 programmes with the review of the Emissions Trading Scheme meaning it’s also on very shaky ground.  The right leaning tendencies of the new government bolstered by the public’s support for bold decisions during a time of economic turmoil gives considerable wiggle room to rave, shave, and save.

What do the business community think of this? What does JK think we think of this? Does he really care?  Maybe he should ask.

I’m not an artist but I know what I like, I’m not much of a footballer (and never was) but I get great pleasure from watching Cristian Ronaldo weave past would-be tacklers and score goals that can rightfully be described as ‘beautiful’. I am not a journalist but every day I read the work of our own journalists (Nadine Isler and Andrew Gregory) and plenty of others in selected publications, and I know what appeals to me, provokes me, is beneficial for me to read, bores me, irritates me and what I just don’t like.

Nadine Isler has had a bee in her bonnet about this for a while now so I asked her to have her say. To share her opinion about her much maligned profession. And she did, and here it is.

Tim

“Don’t let truth get in the way of a good story.” It’s an old cliché, and when we hear it we chuckle, and collectively sigh about the state of the media today.

It’s about time those resigned sighs are questioned. For too long, journalists have been allowed to live up to their less than favourable reputations. We are down there with lawyers and car salesmen, and quite frankly, the reputation is deserved. You only need to read some of the stuff the media in this country is pumping out to see what I mean.

So let’s challenge this state of affairs, let stop accepting that journalists are slimy, under-researched and exploitative. And lets give the profession a chance to change, and turf out the remaining individuals who continue to do a bad job.

“Bad news sells”: Now there’s another cliché that needs to be challenged. Read the newspaper, and you want to go slit your wrists.

So lets report some good for a change. They say that criticism and depression is what audiences want, but the positive stories we have presenting in the pages of this magazine have been met with increasing enthusiasm. And believe me, at first even I was surprised. I thought readers needed a twist, some scandal, perhaps a hint of seedy underbelly, to be truly interested… but nope, it seems we genuinely appreciate supportive, informative writing. Who would have thought?

Now I am not saying we should produce sugar-coated drivel, and close our eyes to the miserable things that do go on in our world. I’m just saying that there is the opportunity to see things from different perspectives, and not all of them involve doom and gloom.

Telling people what is happening in their cities, their countries and the world need not be an underhand and depressing exercise. There is room for balance and good, supportive writing, and I for one would love to start seeing more of it.

NADINE ISLER

Tim Collins, IN-Business Wellington Editor

I’ll show you mine if you show me yours

How many of you noticed that our last issue had a sustainability theme? We didn’t shout about it – in fact we intentionally didn’t mention the “S” word on the cover. When discussing this subject, many otherwise balanced journalists turn into lobbyists, lobbyists turn into eco-fascists, and contributing columnists miraculously transform into evangelical preachers. And most media organisations are just as eager to see the (green-tinged) light. Hard to avoid the raft of eco TV programmes, special sections in national newspapers, (even the Dom Post “Greenzone” gives the woolly jumpers a weekly nod), National Radio’s Chris Laidlaw talks about little else and most magazines have published sustainability issues.  In fact a new magazine was launched a few months ago focused solely on sustainability, with the dangerously righteous title of ‘Good’.  Let’s hope they can live up to their name.

It’s time we stopped considering firms with sustainable principles as odd, cool or even commendable. Time we stopped running themed stories in the ‘green section’ or on the 60 Minutes ‘environment special’. Time to question well-intentioned but equally separatist forums such as the sustainabaility.govt.nz website, the NZ Business Council for Sustainable Development and, dare I say it, the hard working and fast-growing Sustainable Business Network (SBN) profiled in our last edition.

If sustainability is good for business – because it helps differentiate your firm, reduce costs and attract new customers – then you would be crazy not to embrace it. The fact that it’s the ‘right thing to do’ is a wonderful side effect.

Consumers and businesses are increasingly making choices based on sustainability values; expect this to increase. As a region and a nation our sustainable aspirations have the potential to be a marketable point of difference and to help propel us from isolated economic doldrums into niche market utopia. We will continue to seek out stories that offer a range of perspectives on this area. We will showcase businesses taking risks and pursuing opportunities the way entrepreneurs always have. I predict that the most successful of these will excel at leveraging environmental and community credentials.

Here are some of ours:

• We are still New Zealand’s only regularly published magazine printed on recycled paper – compared to using virgin paper for this magazine alone we calculate savings of 330 trees, 44 barrels of oil, more than 400?kg of air pollutants and a 75 per cent reduction in the use of chlorine bleach.
• IN-Business is printed with vegetable (soya) based inks – our print partners Format pioneered this development more than a decade ago and others in the industry are now following their lead.

We are proud of our Wellington focus. We employ and outsource locally. Our publishing team and contributing writers are Wellingtonians.

It’s been great to get some much positive feedback from readers, we know you are busy people and we won’t waste your time with self-serving advertorial. We are committed to publishing the only world-class, locally-focused magazine for decision makers hungry for expert business knowledge.

TIM COLLINS