The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the Prime Minister not to use certain political language in his speeches while traveling abroad.
Comvita Chairman Brett Hewlett made the remarks during a lunch for the business delegation in Manila, after being asked to give some reflections on the trip.
He commended Christopher Luxon for leading a trip so soon after taking office, but suggested he steer away from using certain political phrases in his speeches.
Using language like “under new management” and “open for business” was not helpful, he said.
Overseas relationships had been built over time by a series of people who should be acknowledged.
“New Zealand has never been closed for business,” he said.
Hewlett also shared other reflections about the trip and how New Zealand could pitch itself to the world more enthusiastically.
“We are awesome at being humble but we need to stop that,” he said, encouraging businesses to talk up their products.
Running the country, up & down
Luxon has used the two offending phrases several times in stump speeches during the trip.
For example, he said it at an ANZ economic briefing event in Singapore.
“And as I said before, we are under new management and we are open for business and that is why we are here in South East Asia this week,” he said.
The Prime Minister went on to say that New Zealand was “the best country on the planet” but he wanted it to be even better.
Former PM Chris Hipkins also used the phrase “open for business” on his trip to China last year.
New Zealand continued to trade with the world through the Covid-19 pandemic.
This is not the first time Luxon has been criticized for making negative comments about New Zealand.
During the election campaign, he was recorded saying NZ had become a "very negative, wet, whiny, inward-looking country".
And during an earlier trip to London, he told the Policy Exchange that NZ businesses were “getting soft” and looking to the Government for solutions to all their problems.
Hipkins used these comments as an attack line during the election, saying Luxon was “running down the country”.
Fresh faces
‘New management’ could easily have been a theme of the trip, as Luxon met with fairly new leaders in each of the three countries he visited.
Singapore’s long-serving Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong resigned while the New Zealand delegation was visiting and Luxon got to meet with his successor, Lawrence Wong.
Thailand’s Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin, took office last year as the leader of a coalition of an eleven party government — which includes the military parties he campaigned to replace.
Srettha also comes from a corporate background and has crossed paths with Luxon previously.
And finally, Ferdinand Marcos Jr secured a six year term as President of the Philippines in June last year, taking over from Rodrigo Duterte.
Luxon told business delegates there was an excellent opportunity in the country under the new president who wanted to engage more with the world.
The pair met briefly in Melbourne during the special ASEAN summit in March and seemingly hit it off.
Marcos invited Luxon to stay in the President’s Malacañang Palace while visiting, making him the first leader to receive such an invite under the new administration.
Having this set of new leaders could be fortunate for New Zealand, as it is attempting to deepen its political relationships after many years of overlooking the fast growing region.
124 Comments
Did any of NZ's customers had problems with the previous crowd? Few to none?
Ergo, overseas interests hearing NZ was "under new management" may actually worry that things were changing. And business people don't like change as it means more work to evaluate the risks associated with change. So the first questions they'll ask will be: Has the RMA been fixed? Have their been tax changes? Of course you have to answer, No, and, No. Thus from their point of view "new management" hasn't had any effect.
Exactly. Only our media probably even noticed he said it. The other countries are focusing on any important details like what exactly is changing to help them sell to us.
I would prefer a story on how the trip is progressing, the positives and challenges to hearing about a nuance in a speech.
It's like when people claim "we'll be an international laughing stock" at some sort of policy they don't like. We won't, because:
A) we're so small and removed from the rest of the world we're a blip on a global radar
B) there's so many other countries of higher profile making much bigger boo-boos.
This story has already been read more than the three other trade focused stories that I have filed. If people want to read about something, I’m happy to accurately report it.
Please note that it puts the PM’s comments in context and reminds readers that Hipkins also used the phrase.
Finally, it ends with some analysis about how the countries he is visiting are also under new management — which might be part of why he is using the phrase.
All cliches are overused TK but certainly this one is over overused. Appreciate he was making an effort on Te Reo but seems a bit of diction coaching for english wouldn’t be amiss either. For example repeatedly dropping in “you know.” No we don’t know that’s why we are listening to find out.
Here, here Foxglove! Using 'you know' in verbal communication is an affliction that is among the most irritating in the English language. Astonishingly, it is used by many media communicators. Jane Clifton suffered terribly with it. Not sure if it came about through a lack of confidence on the part of the speaker, or just speakers being scared of silence while they formulated their replies.
You mean companies like Amazon that pulled their TV and film production from NZ and moved it to the UK. Or Unity that bought Weta Digital and then promptly shut it down and sacked all the NZ staff? The NZ infant formula companies who failed to get a USA deal while Australian and European dairy companies were signing multi million dollar deals under the US Govt programme ....... These are just the tip of the iceberg. New Management has been desperately needed.
They werent, they were economic decisions made by companies because NZ was completely shut and so they moved the NZ businesses to the UK and USA, where they continue today.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-13/amazon-to-shift-lord…
While the company said the shift aligns with its strategy of expanding its production footprint across the U.K., industry publication Deadline reported that New Zealand's strict border closures during the pandemic kept British cast members from returning home for close to two years
Thankfully NZ IS under new management, but I fear part of the new management team is lacking courage, or lacking the conviction, to do the honorable, good, and right thing and completely roll back all of the hard line leftist racist woo woo from the last time Labour ever will have been in power.
The oil and gas ban had very negative effects on our perception as an open economy. Things like the implementing of rules for tax deductibility of rental property interest without details being available until very much later also really hurt our reputation amongst trade partners (who would be the next flavour of the month to get the same treatment?). Foreign buyer ban said closed for business. There were a whole plethora of things the previous lot did that appeared targeted at destroying NZ’s international reputation.
The taxing itself was fine. It is how the implementation was handled and the amount of notice presented and the impact on existing investors (the return on investment for oil and gas can be in decades). That makes new investors wary of NZ. If you invest and hope to make you money back over 20 years but the rules change in 15 you’ve lost money. Once burnt twice shy.
Yes, important to note that despite the shrill and emotional "oil and gas banned!" rhetoric all existing permits remained perfectly usable, meaning all existing investments were unchanged. I imagine the large institutions were not as vulnerable to the talkback rhetoric as local audiences.
It sounds like you’ve not been taking to multi national corporations looking to expand into New Zealand. It is only a small handful of people who will even consider investments over 500 million in New Zealand, these are the only people whose investment opinion of NZ matters.
If I were a doctor, I dont think I would be moving to NZ knowing that I would be banned from buying a house for my family to live in, and had to make do with some crappy rental property for years. Lauren Dickerson commented on how awful NZ was when she got here, that is probably the experience of most successful professionals who are used to a better standard of living than what is on offer here.
Lauren Dickerson? ...... She had a history of mental health struggles before she even arrived in the country.
"Toohey said Dickason was battling a serious depressive disorder.
She said Dickason's mental health steeply declined from July 2021 due to the riots and unrest in South Africa when her family was preparing to emigrate.
She had also never fully recovered from her postpartum depression after childbirth." (rnz news, 26.07.23)
I did read about it in the news. The poor state of New Zealand's housing and the fact that the shit hole they lived in was all that was available was a contributor to her depressive state. Her family even commented that she can called them in absolute shock at the poor quality of NZ housing and the high cost of living compared to what a relative shit hole that the country was, was quite well documented.
I guess it depends on where she came from in that country. Many of their more affluent folk live in communities they have their own power, refuse collection, water services etc. So they do not experience the crap that others do. Maybe she came here expecting a better life in a modern economy and it was actually worse than what she came from.
Dickason was diagnosed with a "major depression order with underlying anxiety" in 2015, that was linked to postpartum depression caused by the loss of Sarah. Dickason reportedly experienced flashbacks of the loss of her child, sleep difficulties, crying, suicidal thoughts, panic attacks, restlessness, detached feelings, and intrusive thoughts. Dickason experienced anxiety and depression leading up to and following the birth of her twin daughters, which was caused by Karla's cleft palate.[8]
In May 2019, Dickason saw a psychiatrist after experiencing homicidal thoughts towards her children. This episode had been triggered after she and her nanny struggled with putting her twins to bed
The woman was a ticking time bomb who could've been set off by literally anything.
Unfortunately speakers who are prone to rely on buzz words, slogans or whatever indicate an inability to think and/or talk on their feet which in turn signals a lack of confidence in their ability to express themselves on any particular subject For all her vaunted communication skills PM Ardern often resorted to the same flaw, and here Luxon is demonstrating that what might carry in the boardroom doesn’t resonate that well in politics. NZ has in the past had great presenters of clear and plain talk, both Muldoon & Lange for instance and each could lace it with their own humour or ire as the case may deserve. On the other hand some such as Rowling & Bolger fumbled around in cliches and our most experienced politician today, Winston Peters seems to settle for barbed insults.
Definitely seems a follower or Supply Side Jesus: the Gospel
Had an overseas friend inquire about what Luxon & Co were changing in NZ that justified Luxon's "under new management" and "open for business" claims. I really struggled to pinpoint anything that would be relevant for anyone seeking to do business in NZ. The friend concluded, "He's just taking local politics overseas then?". "Pretty much", was my reply.
A savvy trading country can work with just about anyone, sure, but on the golf courses of South east Asia where older international power-brokers gather, NZ was becoming a laughing stock. Folks were incredulous as they had always held NZ in high regard, but as the shared anecdotes kept rolling in, they could see what was happening. eg the idea of being a certain race, just because you identify as that despite no matching DNA. Raised eyebrows and laughter over that.
Luxon is quite right. We do have to point out that we are under new management. We were quickly becoming a laughing stock overseas. We sent Jacinda who had no clue whatsoever, and our foreign minister was Mahuta, who many found visibly offensive because of her facial tattoos which are in many cultures just the sign of a criminal/loser. When she spoke she started talking about damn canoes and river monsters. Most probably thought she had a screw loose. Lucky she didn’t get out that often. So, I think it’s fair to let people know that we sent represented by loons anymore.
So jeremyr,are you also ridiculing Chinese culture which features Dragons ,Tigers etc.
Perhaps Mahura was more astute than your self by aligning some cultural similarities...have you ever been to a major unveiling or opening in a Chinese culture...most of the major ones I have attended have the Dragon Dance;
"The Chinese believe that performing the dragon dance during festivals and celebrations drives away evil spirits and ushers in good luck and blessings for the community."
"Combining traditional Chinese culture with changes in the global situation, Xi has cited an ancient Chinese phrase, "a tiger with wings," to underscore China's initiative in overcoming all difficulties and obstacles with redoubled strength in the new era."
I guess if you were invited,you would be pointing out that Dragons aren't real and you have never seen a tiger fly...
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/nanaia-mahuta-likens-nz-china-relations-t…
Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has likened New Zealand's relationship with China to the respect a taniwha would have for a dragon, and vice versa.
In her first speech on New Zealand's relationship with China since becoming Foreign Minister in November,
I don't give a rats about what the Chinese believe about dragons. It's part of their culture, and that's totally fine. I have been there many times. They don't come over here and push that on us though you see. Old Mahuta went over there, or started talking about (to be honest I don't really remember or care), but she did start droning on about canoes and river monsters to the Chinese and others, and really it is just irrelevant crap that no one cares about. Least of all when you are supposed to be being professional and representing a country. Really it was just embarrassing. I even forgot about what the posts below have now reminded me about, that she also travelled to the US looking like a beneficiary solo mum, in her tracksuit pants and skateboard shoes from the warehouse.....another utter embarrassment. Maybe she could have only made that look worse for us, if she left an old beaten up holden on blocks on the lawn of the White House as a traditional New Zealand gift. Lucky she did not think of that...
http://nz.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/zxgxs/202302/t20230221_11028379.htm
I don't give a rats about Chinese New Year or the year of the rabbit or tiger...but here is the Chinese Ambassador addressing NZ parliament and 'pushing their culture' on us...see the pic in the link,he even brought a dragon (Chinese Taniwha) with him for effect.
We have Chinese dragons strewn through Hagley park at least once a year here in Christchurch, no-one seems to mind an enjoyable celebration of another culture. When I've been on trips to institutions in other countries they are always keen to share the culture and take us on a trip to a temple or statue.
Most countries are proud of their heritage and use it as a selling point - you'll see Maori experiences tend to be very popular among tourists here, for example. The Haka is enjoyed internationally. I'm not sure why you're so down on our unique culture.
The opportunity of a real test of out former Foreign Minister’s representation and appeal was unfortunately missed I would suggest. That being the former President of the USA Donald Trump, self declared expert on the female form, and his reaction and response had she been ushered into the oval office to meet him. Just kidding.
Facial tattoos aside, the way she was dressed looked like she stopped by Dress for Success before her trip to see Antony Blinken.
White bottomed skate shoes and a mock military jacket one size too small. Diversity!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53089190243_e1117f6526_b.jpg
Actually there is a distinct cultural difference in tattoos that are discouraged & gang insignia and those that are honourable and represent your whakapapa. The cultures that dislike tattoos actually see the second as a sign of uniqueness, exoticism and deep family tradition, which sure can seem a little parochial at times but is hardly the attitude and dog whistle you are threatening. Those same cultures that dislike tattoos also have in their history and even current practice forced genital and body mutilation of children and women against their will traditionally. So given the state of things I think we are doing fine in the physical alterations to body for culture front. We are even on the more progressive end which is pretty telling of the human rights issues with our trading partners.
A reporter - not a journalist, that's a higher threshold - for the Titanic Times, unwilling to ascertain if the ship is sinking, but astute enough otherwise, making comments re Murdoch's crowd-control. Interesting but irrelevant scale-wise - except perhaps that the 3-Clown Circus is what we might be going into the Great Reset with.
Ardern - as someone pointed out - lacked the strategic think-on-feet capability too. Key was better; Cullen a master. Currently, the best brain in the House is Swarbrick, but she'd have to ditch some preconceptions to be useful when the SHTF.
My guessing is that she's on the spectrum, but that the 'on' bits are in Mensa territory.
I rate myself pretty quick - father was over 140; I'm not - but have mentally tried to out-pace her at a talk she gave; I couldn't. Impressive.
But she still harbours assumptions - is social sciences savvy but a tad short on the physics...
The same crowd who keeps saying that kids' brains don't mature until they are well into their mid twenties so please don't put so much responsibility and pressure on them but who then go on to push for the voting age to be dropped to sixteen.
Swarbrick, who seems decent but has a habit of hanging out with petty criminals (in her caucus no less), is yet another example of the adage that education and smarts are by no means the same thing.
If you want an amazing read - and the best example of journalism I've ever read - try Douglas Reed's Insanity Fair (brilliant word-play on Thackeray, probably lost on most nowadays). Well worth buying (try ABE Books) and reading more than once.
Was actually passing the Reichstag as it started burning.... covered the trial ...
Interestingly - and it is a warning, in a way, re our own future - he was later accused of being anti-Semitic, and via that, dissed. The book is much more important than that, and explains why he was what he was - it's an important piece of history. Appraises Goering in depth, shrewdly.
Swarbrick has empathy - putting her in an entirely different echelon. The most dangerous, are those without empathy - they do things which harm others. Some even attempt to justify themselves....
It's an interesting world...
Ah yes. - re intelligence and empathy and those who would think otherwise. They would do well to remember that all men dream but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find it was all vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out their dream with open eyes to make it possible.
Hopefully under any future trade negotiations that may eventuate from this, it's a win-win outcome and not a win-loss with New Zealand prepared to give more than it should to secure a deal, any deal. Does anybody else sense a whiff of desperation on NZ's behalf in the use of those two phrases? Can understand one of those phrases being uttered shortly after the opening of our borders post covid, but not at this point in time.
The desperation began in 1980. It came from those who promoted 'GROWTH'.
Reagan was the chosen puppet; "I'm from the Government blah blah" was the chosen put-down, the goal was to mop up from the lower classes, the reason being that were were running into planetary limits.
That process is nearly at an end - the blood remaining in the stone is largely debt - as in: it doesn't exist. So this is indeed desperation; the last fling of a seriously obsolete religion (that you could GROW indefinitely within a Bounded System) reduced to advocating a little bit here, a little bit there, somehow hoping for a 'doubling'.
There are still people who believe there's a god, and a heaven. Same fools, to my way of thinking.
You speak of religion in a negative sense yet you're the one who relates your perspective with the favour of the faithful. Here's a clue - the rest of the non-westernised world i.e. the global super-majority of five to six billion individuals doesn't think in these financialised neoliberal terms and in fact are trying their hardest to get away from the systems that the USA/UK hegemon created.
I think you meant fervour? (or in the case of 2x2, flavour?)
Scale, and truth/fact, are important. The Elite are a few million - but control more than 50% of all activity. That in reply to your 'super majority'- all folk ain't equal in impact, and it is incorrect to conflate.
As for me, I warn based on facts. There are always physical limits to physical growth (virtual growth can probably go until your memory-chips fill, but the trouble comes when you want to 'buy' something physical with your big numbers). If you approach those limits at an exponentially-increasing speed; the end-game will be exponentially-sudden. Theses are just immutable truths - substitution (the economics cop-out) fails the 'doubling' demand of exponential growth, very quickly.
Expressing those overarching truths, is not fervour. It is just a rigorous application of truth/facts in sequenced proportion; as per Titanic sinking / Murdoch crowd control upthread. It's called Systems Science, officially.
Conflating that as fervour, is a shoot-the-messenger avoidance tactic, in my experience.
Yes, there is a growing resentment in the Third World, but most would immediately start consuming in like fashion, if given the chance. Too many people, is the (a) core problem.
Go well
Fervour, yes thanks for the correction.
Too many people, is the (a) core problem.
Western demographics are crashing due to the lack of family formation, increase in childlessness and fertility rate far under replacement level. Not sure what more you want to have happen. As for the physical limits to growth and your claim to the "facts", please don't tell countries like India, China and Indonesia who are busy accessing modern growth and development pathways using new economic arrangements.
“New Zealand has never been closed for business,”
Where has this person been for the last 4 years? NZ had its border closed for almost 3 years. That is literally the very definition of "closed for business".
As for "Under New Management" - its a good thing to highlight that an adult is back in charge. The competency of the previous Govt left much to be desired, they achieved absolutely nothing. As a prime example, Jacinda and Co flew to the USA, met with the President during the time of the US infant formula crisis, and still managed to come away with zero infant formula deals for any of of NZ's dairy companies under Operation Fly Formula. That level of incompetence is staggering. At the same time, three Australian companies were being given multi-million dollar deals to supply the US with formula - deals that still stand today.
We might have shipped some dairy products overseas, but two thirds of western economies are services based. And if you cant move people, you are very much closed for business. Amazon pulled TV production of Lord of the Rings and moved it to the UK - why, because NZ was closed for business. That was a loss of a billion dollars from the NZ economy. Tourism industry - completely munted. Business people couldnt travel overseas to do anything, and overseas people couldnt travel here. That is the very definition of "closed".
Weta FX still exists, Weta Digital was sold and then shut down while its tech was handed over to the US. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/503606/unity-software-terminates-se…
Not from the POV of our grandchildren.
'Those idiots could see they were extracting at too high a rate; they could see they were shitting in their only nest - but they chose not only to keep on doing so, they chose to attempt doing so ever faster'.
And they left us us an unliveable planet, most species now extinct; our lives a hell. Grandparents left us a legacy - a data stick with a '1' followed by a dozen '0''s on it - apparently they were under the impression that made them rich, therefore would make us ditto.
It's a small, useless piece of plastic...
Don't be ridiculous, people today pretending to speak for the people of two or three generations hence is an absurdity. Just think of people back in the 1990s imagining to know what people right now in the 2020s are thinking and then going so far as presuming to speak for them. And yes, there were plenty of peak oil types back then too. Yet you've got no problem deluding yourself that you know what people are going to be thinking and saying at twice or three times that time interval.
They often say lame duck PM's take to foreign policy when they are failing to make in-roads at home. This is probably true here too, Luxon can interact directly with foreign leaders and media without having to run everything past Seymour and Peters first. He is probably way more comfortable in this space than actually anything else he has to do as PM.
I am not much of a Luxon fan but these international trips are probably the 'strength' he can bring to the table, but he is still somehow acting like a fish out of water. He also needs to learn that he is talking to a foreign audience who dont give a rats about his NZ Domestic politics as mentioned above.
You would think one of his seven social media people or the countless other comms staff he has would have the experience to ensure he is fully briefed on how to conduct himself properly on trips such as this.
Maybe its just a newbie thing, but he and his staff need to learn quickly.
“the two offending phrases” - sensitive much.
It’s worth reminding the world at every opportunity that New Zealand is open for business and we’re capable of punching above our weight. It’s a big competitor world out there. I travel a lot, people are always interested to hear about New Zealand, but we’re not top of mind. Against the background of the past few years, we need to remind the world that we’re more open for business than ever. I think the PM and his team are doing an excellent job of getting out there, hustling, putting us firmly back on the map.
This may be uncomfortable for a few people to hear but as someone involved in both Agtech and Software businesses and travelling to Germany, Chile, UK, New York, San Fransisco and Japan often Jacinda and Labour have really improved NZ's standing with international clients and even foreign embassies.
Globally people saw NZ's changes positively:
(1) Focus on the environment
(2) Commitment to climate change initiatives
(3) Christchurch call around social media
(4) Covid Response
(5) Jacinda's presence on international media
Many people cannot fathom why we would change the government. So external politics vs internal politics is very different. The international media has so far been negative on the changes being made by the national government. National should be looking to control this narrative better.
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