September 2008

In this newsletter:

• Auckland's marine industry is line for a boost
  
• Auckland adds to Rugby World Cup opportunity
  
• Countdown to Rugby World Cup 2011
  
• Speed Networking launches PLATO programme
  
• Auckland centre stage at UK job expo
  
• Auckland dominates NZ incubator Awards
  
• Regional approach to securing investment

September articles>>

Auckland’s Marine Industry in line for a boost

A major project to assist Auckland’s marine industry to achieve its potential will get underway this year if a funding application by AucklandPlus is successful.

An announcement on funding from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise’s Regional Strategy Fund is expected during September.

If the funding comes through, AucklandPlus will facilitate an industry led project in the next 6-8 months involving the whole of the Auckland marine industry, research and training institutions that support the industry and key government agencies and departments to develop a common vision of the future. It will focus on identifying actions and work streams that will remove barriers and enable the industry to achieve its potential revenue growth.

The actions and work streams identified in this initial project will be implemented in an industry development programme that will be initiated in 2009, led by the marine industry and undertaken over 3-5 years.

The Auckland marine industry has the potential to grow significantly. With
targeted investment and infrastructure development, the marine industry
regional turnover has the potential to reach $2 billion by 2020, an increase of 141% on existing turnover. However, research undertaken by the industry and central government has shown that significant barriers to this growth exist. Unless these barriers are removed the industry may not achieve its growth potential.

A dynamic and successful world class marine industry in Auckland is pivotal to the region’s economic transformation as well as to the success of the national marine industry. The Auckland region has a strong competitive advantage in the marine industry. Not only does the regional marine industry account for 58% of the total turnover within the New Zealand marine industry, it has a reputation for high quality design, construction, re-fits, fit outs and being able to maximise advances in marine and associated technology. Marine and associated businesses locate in the region because of the existing skilled labour pool, the academic and training facilities run by organisations such as the Boating Industry Training Organisation and importantly the exceptional marine environment the region offers.

Auckland’s marine industry has built a solid reputation by developing flexible
production processes, with solutions based approaches and a highly skilled workforce. New Zealand has also developed a sustainable competitive
advantage in design and construction technology, e.g. New Zealand has three out of the five major carbon spa manufacturers in the world.

While New Zealand has an internationally recognised reputation for marine production, there are significant threats from other regions/markets such as Brisbane and the Gold Coast in Australia where the industry has strong clustering components and are rapidly building value and supply chains.

Auckland adds to Rugby World Cup opportunity

It’s official - Auckland will be where the action is, at the business end of Rugby World Cup 2011 after securing the bronze final at Eden Park.

RWC 2011 tournament organisers Rugby New Zealand 2011 Ltd (RNZ 2011) announced Auckland as the host for the bronze final (third and fourth play-off) last week in addition to both semi-finals and the final already confirmed for Eden Park.

Regional spokesperson for Auckland’s RWC planning Michael Barnett said securing the bronze final boost’s Auckland’s opportunity to showcase the city to the world and reap the resulting economic benefits.

"This tournament has the potential to generate $315 million of additional expenditure in the Auckland region, and the long-term benefits of successfully showcasing Auckland to the world will be much, much greater," says Barnett.

"We will have two blockbuster weekends of rugby with the Bronze Final in between and the eyes of the world will be on Auckland. We need to give our visitors something to remember."

Barnett says the Auckland region is focused on playing our part in making this the best RWC ever.

"Auckland’s success is New Zealand’s success and our strengths have Auckland ideally placed to help deliver on the national vision of a ‘unique and stunning festival with enduring impacts for New Zealand’," says Barnett.

Wellington and Christchurch were each confirmed as hosting two quarterfinals in the 2011 tournament.

"Following the tournament’s ‘stadium of four million’ theme, we’re looking forward to working closely with the other host cities to ensure a consistent Rugby World Cup experience for visiting fans and media."

"We also want to make this an event that Aucklanders can be proud of, be involved in and benefit from."

Auckland’s proposal which secured the bronze final was a collaborative effort by organisations across the region including all Auckland councils, Tourism Auckland, AucklandPlus, the Auckland Regional Transport Authority, major stadia and the three Auckland-based rugby unions.

"The Auckland region is working together to ensure Rugby World Cup 2011 is a success for Auckland, for our businesses, our residents, our visitors and for our reputation."

Countdown to Rugby World Cup 2011

The countdown’s on to Rugby World Cup 2011 and you can literally keep track of the days, hours a minutes until RWC 2011 kicks off at www.auckland2011.com

The site is aimed at potential visitors and locals. As well as the countdown, it carries regular updates on Auckland’s preparations for the tournament, links visitors to the key information they need and features a business connections section.

The business connections section will become an increasingly important area of the site linking Auckland businesses to the information they need to gain maximum benefit from RWC 2011. It will also carry information on business events up to and during the tournament and links to information for those considering investing in New Zealand in the lead up to the event and those wishing to do business while they are in New Zealand in 2011.

Speed Networking launches PLATO programme

A session of "speed networking" was the highlight of the official launch of PLATO in Auckland recently.

Based on the popular speed dating concept, the session gave guests two minutes each to talk to each other and exchange business cards.

The function marked the start of Auckland’s newest business mentoring and peer support programme, PLATO™ New Zealand.

PLATO™ is being piloted in Auckland by the Ministry of Economic Development and is managed by AucklandPlus. WHK Gosling Chapman will deliver the programme which is based on a successful international model. PLATO™ offers owners and managers of small and medium sized business a unique opportunity to receive peer support and mentoring alongside like-minded companies.

The Auckland pilot will eventually include two groups, both from a general mix of Auckland industries. Facilitators from larger more experienced companies will provide mentoring and expert advice, with the overall direction of each group being shaped by the needs of participants. Facilitators have been recruited from Vodafone, Software of Excellence and Hudson Gavin Martin.

Find out more about PLATO™

Auckland centre stage at UK job expo

After the success of the 2007 New Zealand job expo in London, AucklandPlus and the Chamber of Commerce are again joining forces to ensure that the Auckland region features strongly at this year’s October expo.

The Opportunities New Zealand Expo is one of the biggest events on the NZ-UK recruitment calendar, and provides a forum to directly talk to skilled Brits who are thinking of moving to New Zealand.

Last year over 4000 people visited the Auckland stand to gain an understanding of what the region has to offer: our diverse natural beauty and cosmopolitan lifestyle; the refreshing mix of people, places and cultures; an unmatchable approach to life that’s ranked 5th in the world; job opportunities galore across a range of sectors and industries and world-class learning opportunities. Not to mention the buzz of the world’s third largest sporting event - Rugby World Cup - that will be hitting out shores in 2011.

Visitors to the Auckland stand will again be encouraged to register on www.nzrecruitme.co.nz - the Chamber’s recruitment site promoting the skills of potential migrants to businesses throughout New Zealand. The service is both free for employers and seekers and focuses on introducing potential candidate's skill set to suitable employers. Last year nearly 800 people registered on the site.

Auckland dominates NZ incubator Awards

[missing FMS file] Businesses from Auckland’s Icehouse swept four of the five award handed when New Zealand’s hottest young start-up companies had their achievements recognised at the Gen-i New Zealand Incubators Awards.

The Gen-i sponsored awards underlined the growth of New Zealand’s incubation industry, with the winning companies representing everything from robotics and GPS tracking, through to wireless power solutions and mobile banking.

This year’s winners were:

• Start-up of the Year: INRO Technologies Ltd from The ICEHOUSE in Auckland.
• Start-up Exporter of the Year: TracPlus Global Ltd from Upstart in Dunedin.
• Start-up Entrepreneur of the Year: eBUS’s Carmine Masiello from The ICEHOUSE in Auckland.
• Innovation of the Year: PowerbyProxi Ltd from The ICEHOUSE in Auckland.
• Hall of Fame Award: Mobile Mentor and M-Com, both from The ICEHOUSE in Auckland.

Minister for Economic Development Pete Hodgson presented the awards and congratulated the winners on their drive and imagination. He said the participants all had a role to play in building a knowledge-based economy that successfully competes with the rest of the world.

"We know that business incubation can help diversify economies, commercialise technologies, create jobs and build wealth. I’m therefore confident that the businesses represented at these awards can provide New Zealand with a source of innovative, high growth companies for the future."

Incubators New Zealand represents 15 regional incubators providing entrepreneurs and start-ups with the expertise, networks, tools and stimulating environment needed to make their ventures successful. In the last year the 150 incubator-assisted companies attracted more than $25 million in capital and achieved almost $22 million in revenue of which 23% was from exporting.

Start-up of the Year
INRO Technologies uses robotics to automate customers’ existing vehicles, autonomously moving products within warehouses and cold stores. In the past year the company has grown from volunteer staff to over 20 full-time staff and received one of the largest angel investments ever in New Zealand. INRO Technologies is a resident of The ICEHOUSE in Auckland.

Start-Up Exporter of the Year
Recent winners of the Global Technium Challenge, this Dunedin company has developed a revolutionary tracking service for commercial, government and non government agencies that is now operating in 14 countries and areas, including the Antarctic.

Start-up Entrepreneur of the Year
Carmine Masiello was awarded ‘Start-Up Entrepreneur of the Year’ for his role in turning eBUS into a success story. eBUS has developed cutting edge software that allows production teams, creatives and their clients to access and work on the same piece of video footage at the same time no matter where in the world they are. It is little surprise that the original TradeMe angel investment company Movac and TradeMe founder Sam Morgan have recently invested $1.25m in eBUS when you consider that it has over 50% market share in New Zealand and promising signs from international markets in South East Asia and India.

Innovation of the Year
A spin-out from the University of Auckland, PowerbyProxi is a pioneer in the design and development of turnkey wireless power solutions, which eliminate the need for a physical or frictional power connection to electronic devices. Their first product, Proxi-Ring a completely contactless slip ring, is ready to be launched after a 12 month development effort with John Deere. PowerbyProxi is based in The ICEHOUSE incubator in Auckland.

Hall of Fame Award
The Hall of Fame award, recognising a successful incubator graduate, was shared by Mobile Mentor and M-Com. Mobile Mentor, started just 4 years ago, set out to help New Zealanders unlock the potential of their increasingly complex mobile phones. With 140 staff worldwide Mobile Mentor has now trained over 25,000 customers in New Zealand, has 5 year exclusive contracts in Australia and Brazil, and is expanding into China, USA, UK and Europe. The Brazil operation alone is expected to generate revenue of $50 million over the next four years.

M-Com is the leading provider of mobile banking solutions in the Asia Pacific region. With Fortune 500 customers such as ANZ and Westpac banks, M-Com enables retail banks to reach consumers through their device of choice - the mobile phone. Securing one of the top US banks, Washington Mutual, as a client has led to the establishment of a US office and is expected to result in staff numbers growing from 23 to 70 within 3 years. Both M-Com and Mobile Mentor are graduates of The ICEHOUSE in Auckland.

Regional approach to securing investment

Efforts to attract new investors to the Auckland region, and provide consistent and relevant information for people considering setting up a business here have been stepped up with the formation of a new regional investment group.

Coordinated by AucklandPlus, the group includes investment managers and coordinators from Auckland economic development agencies and councils, as well as representatives from Investment New Zealand.

The group will act as a single point of contact for overseas investors, providing consistent, regionally-focused information that enables potential investors to make a fully informed decision about Auckland as an investment location.

"By working more closely, we are able to share investment opportunities, and ensure that potential investors do not get lost in the system, says AucklandPlus Group Manager Clyde Rogers. "Our aim is to ensure that Auckland is considered a viable and competitive place to invest and continues to build on that reputation."

The group’s formation is the start of an ongoing programme ensuring investors have access to a wide range of regional investment information and are receiving consistent and targeted information in response to their enquiries, including information such as where their potential customers might be.

If you would like to discuss investment opportunities further, please contact Emma John at AucklandPlus, ph 09 366 2072 or email emma.john@aucklandplus.com