The Productivity Commission’s report on state sector productivity makes for dismal reading.

Higher state sector productivity is critical to delivering more and better public services now and into the future, yet many government agencies lack the cultures, capability and encouragement to make these gains, says the Productivity Commission in its latest report, Improving state sector productivity.

Rod Oram reviews the Productivity Commission's landmark report on moving to a carbon-neutral economy on Newsroom. He finds a wealth of insight on the task ahead, but no analysis of what happens if we fail or what a radical disruption might look like.

Nov 23, 2017  -  Four in ten business leaders believe there will be an increase in casual and contractor employment over the next ten years, according to the newly-released Future of Talent report.

“It is about how businesses are looking to find different ways to utilise workers across their lifetime,” said Geraldine Magarey, leader of policy and thought leadership at CA ANZ – the organisation which conducted the recent report.

“It’s a great sign for older workers who would prefer part-time retirement, students with study commitments and new parents who don’t yet want to go back to a full-time job.”

The challenge, she added, is to strike the right balance with employment regulation, to allow the widest variety of working patterns, including casual, contracting, part-time and project-based or seasonal work.

The report also highlighted the need to ensure that vulnerable workers are protected from unscrupulous employers.

“Flexibility must still provide decent work and remuneration.”

The paper launched Tuesday night in New Zealand also surveyed what attributes business leaders felt to be very important for the future: There was an overwhelming response for communication skills (90 per cent).

Other qualities deemed important are problem solving, adaptability and agility, collaboration, quick building of relationships, resilience, creativity and innovation, the making of good designs even with incomplete information, leadership and empathy.

“These are difficult to replicate with technology,” Magarey said, pointing out that business leaders still feel a human touch remain crucial at work even as technological advancements influence the workplace.

And while agility and adaptability are crucial for workers, “it’s crucial for workplaces too,” Magarey said.

“Businesses need to be flexible in relation to hours, locations and where employees can work. These initiatives help to increase the talent pool and the employees they can attract.”

The paper surveyed 400 leaders from all sectors including agriculture, manufacturing, construction, hospitality, logistics, IT, professional services, accounting, finance and healthcare.

| A HRD New Zeal;and release  ||  November 23,  2017   |||

17 Nov 2017  -  To mark the launch of Deloitte Access Economics in New Zealand, a new report entitled Shaping our slice of heaven: Industries of opportunity was released in Wellington last night.  The report identifies five industries with the greatest opportunity to contribute to New Zealand’s future economic prosperity. The industries lie at the intersection of global growth and national comparative advantage, forming the heart of New Zealand’s “prosperity map”. These industries of opportunity are tourism, agribusiness, food processing, international education and advanced manufacturing.

Each of the five industries is expected to achieve above average global growth over the next twenty years, in a large part due to the rise of the middle class in emerging economies, in particular the Asian powerhouse economies of China and India. Consumers in these countries, and around the world, want many things New Zealand can offer – excellent agricultural and food products, high quality education, the latest health technologies and unique tourism experiences.

Shaping our slice of heaven: Industries of opportunity analyses where global opportunities and New Zealand’s advantages will coincide to create growth opportunities for the economy. Recognising that New Zealand’s prospects are as bright as they were a decade ago is not in itself enough. The report asks how New Zealand companies, industries and government can work together to apply these insights and take a longer-term view around how to ensure future economic prosperity.

Deloitte Access Economics lead partner in New Zealand Linda Meade says the report is a call to action.

“The core message of the report is that while global or domestic opportunity and structural advantages are necessary, they are not sufficient. To ensure success, we need to build on New Zealand’s areas of advantage to maintain and improve performance relative to global competitors,” says Ms Meade.

“We need to seize the day - there are plenty of competitors waiting in the wings if we are complacent,” she warns.

Ms Meade says Deloitte is very pleased to be launching Deloitte Access Economics in New Zealand and she expects strong growth in economic advisory as a key component of Deloitte’s client services.

“Demand for expert knowledge and industry experience in economic advisory services has grown for some years now. Growth has been driven by the pace of business and regulatory change and the value inherent in understanding the economics that drive these changes, at national, state, industry and enterprise levels,” says Ms Meade.

Since forming as Access Economics in 1988, and joining Deloitte in 2011, Deloitte Access Economics has experienced significant growth. They are now a team of 160 professional economists across New Zealand and Australia and are the leading Australian economic advisory practice.

Canberra-based Deloitte Access Economics Lead Partner Stephen Smith says Deloitte Access Economics has deep specialist skills across macroeconomics, microeconomics, health economics and social policy, and competition and regulatory policy, and a strong commitment to delivering client value when it comes to providing insights and advice.

“Our team’s success in combining deep economic rigour with practical commercial advice is helping to shape conversations around any number of social, political and business issues, deliver business insights and inform investment strategy in Australia – and now here in New Zealand,” says Mr Smith.

You can download or read Shaping our slice of heaven: Industries of opportunity at www.deloitte.com/nz/slice-of-heaven.

You can learn more about Deloitte Access Economics in New Zealand at www.deloitte.com/nz/economics.

| A Deloitte release  ||  November 17,  2017   |||

Multinational tech giants like Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon are taking a bigger slice of the New Zealand economy every day writes Rohan MacMahon in his article published on Newsroom:-

'Lack of IT skills adds to dismal productivity' As productivity flatlines, we need to help Kiwi businesses stay competitive in a global world, writes management consultant Rohan MacMahon

Whatever the make-up of the next Government, we can expect some major topics debated in the election campaign to get a lot of attention. Things like housing supply, mental health and water quality.

One fundamental challenge for New Zealand which received little attention in the campaign, but will need to be addressed, is productivity. The latest statistics paint a dismal picture (read a great summary by Michael Reddell here).

Basically, once you net out population growth, New Zealand's productivity is static or, if you choose the most optimistic measure, growing at less than one percent per annum.

This means workers need to work longer hours to have more money in their pockets. It means farmers must hope for better prices on commodity exports or an uptick in global demand to generate growth in profits.

Why is it so hard to, as they say, "work smarter, not harder"?

One area where New Zealanders are not "working smarter" at scale yet is in the use of ICT.

New Zealanders are enthusiastic consumers of technology. Kiwis love global technology brands like Apple, Facebook, Netflix, Amazon and Google, and are generally quick to take up attractive new technologies.

However, it's businesses that drive productivity, not consumers - and here the story is less rosy.

| Continue to the full article on Newsroom here  ||  October 17, 2017,   |||

According to a new report, the design sector contributed over $10 billion to the New Zealand economy in 2016 writes Henry Oliver from TheSpinoff in which he asks Thomas Mical, the head of AUT’s School of Art and Design, what that means for New Zealand design.

Designers know that their work creates value, but a recent report from DesignCo – commissioned by ten New Zealand institutions including AUT – confirms it, by quantifying design’s growing impact on the New Zealand economy. According to The Value of Design to New Zealand report, the design sector contributed approximately $10.1 billion to the New Zealand economy in 2016, about 4.2% of New Zealand’s GDP.

And if design were treated as its own industry rather than a sector within various industries, its contribution to the economy would be larger than agriculture ($8.1 billion) and on the heels of retail trade ($10.6 billion) and food, beverage and tobacco product manufacturing ($10.6 billion). Product design and interactive design are the two biggest contributors towards design’s economic impact, along with manufacturing, human health, financial, environmental and construction industries.

But it’s not just design for design’s sake. The report shows a strong design sector and national prosperity and economic growth. Further, design is a powerful tool of urban regeneration and a way to help solve complex and hard-to-solve problems in both the private and public spheres.

Thomas Mical, the head of AUT’s School of Art and Design, was trained as an architect and has thought a lot about the interaction of public and private spaces. He sees reports like The Value of Design as vital, not just for the design industry to prove it’s worth to the government and the private sector, but for designer’s themselves to understand their economic impact and the value of the work they do. And for Mical, who sees the future of design everyday in his student’s work, its value is only going to grow.

Continue here to read the full article on TheSpinOff ||  October 5,  2017   |||

As the rebuild takes effect, Christchurch has a golden opportunity to become New Zealand’s number one city of choice, says outgoing Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce chief executive Peter Townsend. Townsend says Christchurch is back and running after 11,000 aftershocks, 53 of them over five on the Richter scale. Currently $83 million is being spent in rebuilding the city every week, and by the end of this calendar year 75 per cent of the housing stock will have been repaired and rebuilt. A total of 70 percent of the commercial building repairs and rebuilds will also have been completed, he says. The cost of the Structural side of the rebuild so far is $33 billion. But there is still a massive amount to do. The total cost of the whole rebuild is still estimated at somewhere between $40 and $50 billion. EQC insurance proceeds have accounted for around $11 billion dollars of insurance monies injected into the rebuild with other private insurance contributing another $20 billion “There is nowhere in the world where around $30 billion dollars of insurance proceeds have been applied to the rebuild of a city of 400,000 people”. “The Government have injected around $8.5 billion into land, infrastructure and amenities”. Townsend makes other factual and compelling points about Christchurch and Canterbury, as it becomes a city of choice. • A total of 1100 commercial buildings in the city were lost in the earthquakes but they might be replaced by just 400 buildings. • By the end of 2020 Christchurch is going to have as much hotel accommodation as it had before the earthquakes. • Christchurch will be the safest city in New Zealand because all the shonky stuff has gone. • The city will be the most energy efficient city in New Zealand because it has rebuilt to a new code of double glazed windows, better insulation, heat pumps under the floors to heat the concrete pads and it all results in much cheaper electricity. • A total of 25,000 Christchurch houses were destroyed or had in excess of 100,000 of damage in the earthquakes. • There is no other city better equipped in primary, secondary and tertiary education, by a country mile. • Canterbury is regarded as having one of the top six health systems in the world. • Christchurch is going to be the most accessible city in the country as its traffic infrastructure is taking off with the southern motorway, the northern arterial route and the west diversion. • A taxi driver told Townsend that many of his overseas passengers says the drive from the airport into the city is the most beautiful airport to city drive in the world • Christchurch is the only city in the world with under a million people that has a daily Airbus 380 service • The city is a target for medical specialists and doctors wanting to live and work in Christchurch. Why – Brexit, Trump, lone-wolf terrorism and Christchurch is seen to be a safe bolt-hole for people to live and bring up their kids; it’s really a compelling proposition. • Canterbury is not all about dairy. Canterbury grows 68 percent of the world’s radish seeds and 34 percent of the world’s carrot seeds • Finally, the rebuild of the ChristChurch Cathedral over the next seven to 10 years must be a tourist attraction. Townsend says, why not, instead of fencing it off and wrapped in white plastic, why not put glass panelling around the outside of it? Why not put a couple of grandstands in the Square so people can look into the rebuild? And why not make the rebuild of the ChristChurch Cathedral a positive experience for tourists.

| A MakeLemonade release  ||  September 29,   |||

A new national group of New Zealand’s leading tech experts was formed in Auckland today, because the country is facing unprecedented growth and change in tech – which is now the nation’s fastest growing sector.

Tech Leaders has been set up with the support of NZTech and is a group of passionate New Zealand tech, digital and ICT focused-executives from leading organisations that will work together, with the support of NZTech, to use their experience to help address tech related issues of national importance.

NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says New Zealanders are seeing dramatic tech changes the likes of which have never been seen before.

“Electric car charging stations are popping up all over New Zealand and we are seeing the introduction of driverless cars and buses. A string of artificial intelligence and IoT devices are continually being introduced into our daily lives.

“With the ultimate goal of improving the prosperity of New Zealand underpinned by technology Tech Leaders will define, communicate and promote initiatives around the use of technology from their experience and perspective.

“These tech executive, from organisations such as Auckland Transport, Downer, Fonterra, Fletcher Building and Westpac, are at the coalface, driving the tech change in large New Zealand companies and organisations.“What they can see is new tech out there which will make New Zealand more efficient and businesses will benefit,” Muller says.

David Kennedy, Global Chief Information Officer of Transaction Services Group, is the first chair of Tech Leaders and he says it is up to the leaders to create a platform for the success of New Zealand today and for the future.

“To ensure international and domestic success of Kiwi businesses, it is vital we act now to consider what’s being covered in our education system. Learnings should be designed to develop global leading talent who can cope with all the opportunities and challenges of tomorrow’s world.

“Our education system needs to be producing these type of employees today. We do not have a shortage of skilled people – however, we need to be sure the education being provided is equipping people to succeed in today’s business, as well as tomorrow’s world.

“Tech Leaders is committed to delivering change to the very fabric of New Zealand. Never before has a group of the most senior tech executives got together in this way for the sole purpose of ensuring the prosperity of New Zealand.

“Tech Leaders will work together to answer the toughest questions around the impacts and opportunities of new technologies. Large firms are piloting artificial intelligence tools and fleets of vehicles will soon become driverless, potentially costing thousands of jobs.

“This is just one of the questions we should be asking… What should the government and New Zealand’s largest firms be doing to protect the livelihood of Kiwi families that rely on driving jobs for the food on their table when, not if, autonomous vehicles are widespread on New Zealand roads,” Kennedy says.

| A MakeLemonade release  || September 28,  2017   |||

Written by Rural News Group the red meat sector looks to government for action.  The red meat sector has eight key priorities and believes the next government can play a key role in bringing about positive change.

Environment

• Continuing to improve the sustainability of our production is a top priority. We are committed to improving our water quality and further reducing the sector’s GHG emissions.

Our leaders recently committed to bringing New Zealand’s rivers back to swimmable levels and we are working on further ambitious targets for the environment.

The incoming government can help by:

o Working with the sector to develop environmental policies focused on the outcomes we want to achieve and that recognise different farming systems can meet these outcomes in different ways.

o We need government support with research and the tools to give us answers on the best way to build productive, sustainable environment.

Trade

• We are an export-focused sector: 90% of NZ’s sheepmeat production and 83% of beef production is exported. We continue to face major tariff and non-tariff barriers around the world that affect our competitiveness.

The incoming government can help by:

o Continued leadership on trade liberalisation, including negotiating high quality FTAs and putting resources into tackling non-tariff barriers.

Food Safety

• Food safety is critical to the meat industry and for maintaining consumer confidence. NZ is recognised as a world leading in its industry and regulatory systems.

The incoming government can help by:

o Continuing to provide government services in an efficient and cost-effective way and to maintain the high performance of NZ’s regulatory system for food safety, market access and reputational reasons.

Biosecurity

• Incursions of pests and diseases are among the biggest risks to the sector and could be catastrophic to the NZ economy.

The incoming government can help by:

o Continuing to invest in a strong biosecurity system aimed at keeping pests and diseases out and working with industry to improve capability and systems to respond to those which arrive.

Animal Welfare

• NZ has high animal welfare standards. Farmers and meat processors work hard to ensure their animals are well cared for and treated humanely.

The incoming government can help by:

o Continuing to partner with the sector to enhance the animal welfare systems in NZ and promote NZ’s good reputation in this area.

Innovation

• Huge innovation and productivity improvements have occurred in the sheep and beef sector, onfarm and in processing. The sector is committed to striving for further improvements.

The incoming government can help by:

o Continuing to partner with the sector and ensuring its investment strategies include long-term support for sheep and beef sector innovation and growth.

Employment

• We represent NZ’s largest manufacturing industry and our processing companies employ some 25,000 people nationwide. We strive to employ NZers first. Every year, however, we need to bring in about 100 Halal slaughterers to support a fundamental component of the industry’s business model and to meet Halal regulatory requirements. The processes for this are lengthy and complex and expose the industry to significant risk.

The incoming government can help by:

o Putting Halal slaughterers on the long-term skills shortage list or finding other practical solutions to provide a secure pathway to source necessary workers from overseas.

Health & Safety and Training

• Working with livestock and machinery means the sector has health and safety hazards that need to be well managed. Industry leaders are committed to improving the sector’s health and safety performance and creating a safer work place.

• Having a skilled workforce is extremely important to the sector and we are investing in training systems to upskill workers, promulgate industry standards and promote the sector as a career pathway.

The incoming government can help by:

o Supporting a strong partnership between WorkSafe NZ and industry; and

o Supporting the sector in developing new qualifications to accelerate career pathways and maintaining and expanding the funding model with the Primary ITO.

| A RuralNews release  ||  September 21,  2017   |||