September 2009

• RWC tender site brings opportunities and businesses together
• Auckland’s RWC 2011 legacy goals revealed
• New Business Opportunities Guide makes benefits of RWC 2011 accessible
• Investor Attraction Programme set to make the most of RWC 2011
• Watch out London, NYC and Melbourne; Brand Auckland’s on its way
• Industry expert looks to fill hole in food sector new product development process
• Programme to boost business productivity currently being piloted in Auckland
• Revamped business migration scheme hopes to boost economic performance

RWC tender site brings opportunities and businesses together

Opportunities to become involved are now at business’ fingertips with the launch of a nationwide Rugby World Cup (RWC) tender site this week.

Designed as a central hub for RWC 2011 tender opportunities, businesses all over the country will have the opportunity to view and tender for procurement contracts offered by the various Tournament organisations such as RWC Limited, local and central Government as well as event subcontractors.

Developed by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, the site will provide benefits such as promoting best-practice, dedicated audit trails and, most importantly, transparency of procurement opportunities.

Chair of AucklandPlus, Michael Barnett, encouraged businesses to register at the site as soon as possible. “A dedicated Rugby World Cup tender site will help businesses engage in RWC 2011 that typically wouldn’t search for tenders,” he added.

Sites such as this are now becoming best practice for tenders around major events. Similar sites are or will be set up for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in British Columbia, Canada, London Olympics 2012 and 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

And Rugby World Cup 2011 is only the start of major event opportunities for businesses. Following completion of the Tournament, the site will be “re-skinned” for future major events such as the 2015 Cricket World Cup.

Businesses can be registered at the site to receive notification of relevant opportunities by clicking the link found at www.aucklandplus.com/2011Opportunities/

Auckland’s RWC 2011 legacy goals revealed

This week marks two years until Rugby World Cup 2011 (RWC 2011) kicks off, and to mark the milestone Auckland has unveiled its ‘tight five’ legacy goals for the Tournament.

The Auckland region has launched 2011 and beyond – Auckland’s Rugby World Cup Legacy a plan which outlines the major long-term benefits the Tournament will deliver for Auckland.

The plan identifies five central ambitions for the region, known as Auckland’s “tight five” legacy goals, and outlines the projects designed to contribute to these outcomes.

The “tight five” goals are:
• Making the most of Auckland’s waterfront
• Telling the world Auckland’s story
• Taking pride in our place
• Making public transport a habit for Aucklanders
• Positioning Auckland as a major events destination

Auckland’s RWC 2011 regional spokesperson Michael Barnett says it’s critical to be clear about what we aim to achieve and how we will get there if Auckland is to truly reap the benefits on offer from RWC 2011.

“This event is much bigger than Rugby and we need to ensure that we deliver on our five goals so that Rugby World Cup 2011 leaves a positive legacy for us all.”

RWC 2011 will generate up to $267 million of direct economic benefits for Auckland, but Barnett says the long-term benefits will live on well beyond the Tournament.

“Greater public access to the waterfront, more tourism expenditure and business investment, greater capacity to host major events and improved public transport are worthy goals for us all.”

“If we get it right as hosts, RWC 2011 will deliver all these and more for Auckland.”

Check out a summary of 2011 and beyond – Auckland’s Rugby World Cup Legacy at www.auckland2011.com.

New Business Opportunities Guide makes benefits of RWC 2011 accessible

Authors of the Rugby World Cup 2011 Businesses Opportunities Guide, released this week, hope the ideas contained within it will spark the imaginations of Auckland businesses wondering how they can get involved in the event. The Guide forms part of a suite of business support tools to be rolled out by AucklandPlus in the two years to the Tournament designed to ensure that Auckland businesses make the most of the unprecedented opportunities offered by Rugby World Cup 2011 (RWC 2011).

With $267 million in additional expenditure set to flow from the Tournament, and the added bonus that the opening and final games will be held in Auckland, the opportunities are certainly massive for businesses in our region.

Designed primarily to get Auckland businesses thinking about the myriad ways that they can get involved in RWC 2011, designers hope that the suggestions within the Guide will set the minds Auckland business owners and managers racing.
 
“From event planning and transport to sign writing and sound systems the opportunities to service Rugby World Cup 2011 Tournament as well as the fans, families, support services and media that will accompany it are very significant,” says AucklandPlus Group Manager, Clyde Rogers.

The Guide also offers information that all business should know about the Major Events Management Act (MEMA) as well as information for Maori and Pacific Island businesses.

Other resources available to businesses in the lead up to RWC 2011 include a specialist website - www.auckland2011.com/business. This site will be regularly updated with new opportunities, tender requests and information as it comes to hand, so visiting the site regularly is highly recommended.

A programme of speakers and networking events will be unrolled next year and a Business Ready Guide will be made available in early 2011 to ensure that Auckland businesses are prepared for the thousands of additional customers they will see over Rugby World Cup 2011 Tournament.

“With two years to go the time to start preparing is now,” advises Mr Rogers.

Investor Attraction Programme set to make the most of RWC 2011

Rugby World Cup 2011 is expected to bring 60,000 visitors, 2500 media and a global TV audience of more than 4 billion to Auckland and New Zealand. As New Zealand’s economic powerhouse, the direct economic benefit for Auckland during the tournament is estimated at more than $260 million. However, indirect benefits from the global exposure will be far greater.

Along with the opportunities for Auckland businesses to participate in RWC 2011, the event will also allow businesses and projects seeking investment funding to profile themselves to an unprecedented number of potential investors.

To support Auckland regional businesses to make the most of this opportunity, AucklandPlus in association with local and national partners is designing a RWC Investment Attraction Programme. The Programme will be rolled out over a three year period (two years prior to, and one year following RWC 2011). Included in the programme is series of offshore investment focused activities in a number of targeted markets co-ordinated by AucklandPlus, in consultation and collaboration with relevant stakeholders and programme partners. The first scheduled activity of this type is in Tokyo surrounding the October 24 Bledisloe Cup match.

Explains AucklandPlus Regional Investment Manager Mike Horgan, “The RWC Investment Attraction Programme will utilise the Rugby World Cup 2011 as an unprecedented opportunity for the Auckland region to identify and capture new potential investment as well as focusing on retention and expansion of existing regional investment.”

Initial activities of focus include the development of a regional investment opportunities portal due for launch this year to proactively showcase investment opportunities to potential investors. This activity will be aided by the Government’s recently revamped Business Migration Scheme (also profiled in this newsletter) aimed to boost economic performance by making New Zealand more attractive for business and entrepreneurial migrants.
For more information on utilising RWC 2011 to identify and attract investment, please email mike.horgan@aucklandplus.com

Watch out London, NYC and Melbourne; Brand Auckland’s on its way

What do today’s supercities have in common?  Well many factors really: thriving tourism, international investment and growing economies. But among them is a strong brand proclaiming the city’s distinctive character to the world. Auckland too has a story to tell, so 12 months ago AucklandPlus launched a brand that, according to two years of research, was us in a nutshell.

And it seems we as Aucklanders have resonated with our new visual identity. Since its launch in late 2008, Brand Auckland is being integrated into a wide variety of tourism campaigns, event marketing and economic development promotion around the region. Over the past year, the brand has occupied pride of place on sports fields, yachts, international marketing campaigns and even graced a giant rugby ball in London’s Trafalgar square.

“The Auckland brand is more than a logo or a campaign,” explains Tracy Moyes, Strategic Projects Manager at AucklandPlus. “It’s a vehicle for sharing our stories with the world.”

One of the key actions highlighted in Auckland’s Metro Action Plan, the development of Brand Auckland was a regional initiative supported by central Government, to present the Auckland region as a destination of choice for international investors, students, skilled migrants and tourists. In the brand-savvy, global marketplace of today, a strong brand is necessary for Auckland to compete with other cities for investment, talent, visitors and business.

And it seems to be working, according to research conducted during the recent Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, where Brand Auckland was used in several forms at the Race Village as well as on the boats, around 60% of respondents noticed and recognised the regional brand at the event. Of those, 75% of Auckland resident respondents and 85% of respondents from outside of the Auckland region, thought the event demonstrated the benefits of a single brand for the region.

And with so much success under its belt there’s no stopping the growth of the Auckland brand. Over the next few months, you’re likely to see Brand Auckland featuring anywhere from Auckland 2011 Rugby World Cup material and Tourism Auckland’s international marketing campaign to iconic Auckland events.

Industry expert looks to fill hole in food sector new product development process

An expert in New Zealand’s largest export sector has for eight years been campaigning to overcome a serious barrier standing in the way of New Zealand export growth.

Once known as the food bowl of Europe, New Zealand has a long history of food exports. Last year the food and beverage sector contributed 52% of total annual export revenue. However, with a recent Coriolis Research study suggesting that New Zealand has the potential to increase packaged food exports 2.5 times, it appears that New Zealand’s food and beverage exports are falling far short of our potential. There is a very good reason for that, according to Massey University Professor Ray Winger “a gaping hole in the product development pipeline.”

“For export growth to continue in this country we need to shift focus away from primary commodities and look towards innovative, differentiated consumer packaged products, explains Professor Winger. “However successful product commercialisation requires the rapid implementation of new, innovative (and costly) technologies.”

“Without access to commercial-scale, food pilot plant facilities, the small companies, which make up the majority of New Zealand’s business base, cannot develop the products needed to make export growth a reality,” says Professor Winger. “Public access to a facility enabling access to world-class machinery and processes developing good ideas in a commercial environment is pivotal to continued export growth in this country.” 

Despite the importance of the food industry to New Zealand export revenue and the obvious opportunities for growth, no facilities of this type are publicly available in New Zealand, setting us well behind most other OECD countries.

Recognising the overwhelming industry support and apparent need for such a facility to support the economic development of the Auckland region, an AucklandPlus led Working Group in collaboration with Massey University and Enterprising Manukau, was formed in February this year. Professor Winger’s vision for a food commericalisation centre is now before the Ministry of Economic Development awaiting a decision regarding funding.

A funding decision from the Minister of Economic Development is expected later in the year.

Programme to boost business productivity currently being piloted in Auckland

Nobody is likely to argue that there is increasing pressure on businesses to deliver better products and services smarter, faster and more competitively. These demands mean Auckland businesses must continually improve in order to remain globally competitive.

Stemming from an action to improve workplace productivity listed in Auckland’s Metro Project Action Plan, AucklandPlus with the support of Auckland’s local economic development agencies (Enterprising Manukau, Enterprise North Shore and Waitakere Enterprise) are undertaking a pilot programme aiming at improve workplace productivity in Auckland small and medium sized businesses. AucklandPlus (with funding from NZTE) have contracted Skills4Work to undertake  a pilot  programme designed to provide businesses and employees at all levels with high performance tools and practices to foster and encourage growth and increased productivity.

The principles and tools can be applied to organisations in any business sector to create the foundation for a competitive organisation. The programme works on two levels offering senior leadership as well as shopfloor training and guidance in order to foster and support ongoing continuous improvements. By building high levels of interaction and problem solving at all levels, the programme aims to change workplace culture to lead productivity improvement from the inside out.

Six small and medium sized businesses working in a range of sectors throughout Auckland are participating in the four month pilot with feedback and analysis to follow. For more information email yvette.hellyer@aucklandplus.com

Revamped business migration scheme hopes to boost economic performance

“A smart move” is how Chair of AucklandPlus and Chief Executive of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Michael Barnett refers the revamped business migrant scheme. And he is urging businesses to take full advantage of the Government decision to reduce constraints for overseas migrants looking to bring capital into New Zealand.

In an effort to boost a drop-off in investment by business migrants to New Zealand, the revamped scheme was announced by Economic Development Minister Gerry Brownlee and Immigration Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman in July this year.

The new Business Migration Scheme aims to boost economic performance by making New Zealand more attractive for business and entrepreneurial migrants who want to invest or set up a business in New Zealand and gain permanent residence. The scheme will focus on introducing New Zealand opportunities targeted at offshore business investors, streamlining their immigration processes and ensuring that they are well connected to our own entrepreneur and investment networks.  

In a press release following the announcement, Economic Development Minister Gerry Brownlee stated that the revamped scheme will “ensure we bring more investors, connect them with existing business networks, and create real jobs for New Zealanders.”

Dr Coleman said that the drop off in business migration that New Zealand has experienced since 2005 has been due to unrealistic investment expectations and restrictive English language requirements.

The new policy introduces a new Entrepreneur Plus category which offers a faster path to residence for applicants who create at least three fulltime jobs and invest $500,000 in their business.

“At a time when AucklandPlus is using attention surrounding the upcoming Rugby World Cup 2011 to profile Auckland as a world-class investment destination, the timing of the new scheme couldn’t be better”, says Regional Investment Manager  Mike Horgan. 

“Sensible legislation surrounding investment will certainly make New Zealand more competitive with counties such as Australia.”

The new Investor policy was implemented from 28 July 2009 and the Entrepreneur Policy will come into force from November 2009. 

For more information on the new policy or how to take advantage of any opportunities it may offer for Auckland businesses please email mike.horgan@aucklandplus.com