NZBusiness Magazine August Issue – OUT NOW

Over the past 14 years I’ve had the good fortune to attend a number of awards evenings, each one special in its own way. Many award-winning businesses and entrepreneurs, deserving of additional recognition, have in turn sparked stories for this magazine.

It blows my mind to hear so many incredible stories – inspiring stories that make you proud to be living in the same country as these business heroes.

In June I was lucky enough to be invited to the 2018 Kea World Class New Zealand Awards in Auckland and it truly was a night of celebration. It was another revelation too – to learn what great things Kiwis are doing offshore to promote this country’s talent, goods and services.

I was reminded that there are around one million expat Kiwis living overseas – they are a rich resource of marketing and mentoring horsepower to harness – and the Kea network makes it happen. It’s also a fact, as we heard on the night, that there are approximately 500 Kiwis currently working for the ‘Big 4’ US tech firms (Microsoft, Google, Facebook and Apple) – which is testimony to how highly regarded New Zealanders are by offshore employers.

Rocket Lab’s Peter Beck, one of the recipients of a World Class New Zealand ‘Tall Poppy’ statuette, and the subject of our cover story this month, informed the audience that he is constantly amazed by the number of Kiwis he bumps into during his overseas travels.

June’s ceremony also celebrated the joint recipients for its Supreme Award – leading Kiwi philanthropists, Neal and Annette Plowman and their generous charitable contribution to New Zealand, most recently through the NEXT Foundation, with $100 million to be gifted over ten years on transformational initiatives in education and the environment.

The generosity of all the World Class New Zealand recipients, and not just through funding, was a powerful impression I took away from the night’s celebrations.

Meanwhile, we celebrate the achievements of some more business winners in this issue.

I’m sure you will find plenty of highlights to take away too.

https://adrenalin.co.nz/store/nzbusiness-august-2018