Overview
New Zealand is a small economy, and substantially raising New Zealand's labour productivity will require much greater levels of exporting and foreign investment by New Zealand firms. Exporting and investing offshore provides scale, growth opportunities, and learning opportunities for New Zealand firms.
However, New Zealand's international performance does not compare well against many other developed countries, and only a small number of New Zealand companies are substantially engaged in international markets.
Of course, New Zealand firms do face particular difficulties in moving into international markets because of the small size and remoteness of the New Zealand market. It is this combination of the importance of international engagement, and the difficulties that some New Zealand firms face in going global, that provides the motivation for this project.
The aim of the project is to identify the actions of government, business, and others, which are required in order to take the New Zealand economy to the world in a material and successful way.
Which business models are best designed to enable firms to go global from New Zealand? Which government policies and actions best assist New Zealand firms in the process of international expansion? And how should New Zealand act to position itself to compete effectively in the emerging global economy?
