Mallard ducks off to Irish junket
Trevor Mallard has had a colourful career. Now he's got his dream job as Ambassador to Ireland - a country which shares much in common with NZ. Before he left for Ireland, Mallard spoke with Peter Burke.
It was Ireland's recently at Ireland's Embassy in Wellington, organised by the Irish Business Network of NZ (IBNNZ) and attended by Māori business leaders, NZ politicians past and present and Irish business people living in NZ. Also present among the 80 guests were representatives of the EU Embassy in NZ, former Prime Minister Jim Bolger and soon to be NZ ambassador to Ireland, Trevor Mallard.
The catalyst for IBNNZ commissioning the report was signing of the NZ/EU FTA, which contained a landmark chapter on indigenous people. It was this that inspired Ireland's outgoing Ambassador to NZ, Peter Ryan to rally support from IBNNZ. The report was funded by the Irish government and is seen as providing the spark to get Māori and Irish talking and from there creating new business opportunities.
The 60-page report sets out possible business opportunities that Māori and Irish could collaborate on highlighting in particular the primary sector and the areas of digital technology and services. As well, it points to areas such as cultural tourism, arts and culture with emphasis on the Māori and Irish languages. It contains a number of case studies showcasing existing collaborations and possible futures opportunities that could be explored.
Colm McGrath, who set up the Christchurch branch of IBNNZ and was involved in commissioning the report, says the concept of 'following the sun' - which is mentioned in the report - is very attractive to both countries.
"Being at opposite ends of the world means that Ireland and NZ are perfectly positioned to deliver a 24 hour work flow and that can be particularly valuable in say the software industry," he told Rural News.
"The end of the day in Ireland is the start of the day in New Zealand and enables quite a speedy turnaround for work and already a number of companies are leveraging that."
McGrath says the purpose of the report is to start a discussion - a conversation to get people thinking outside the square and to search out the opportunities, publicise these and make them a reality.
He says from there they believe that the blocks will fall into place and new businesses involving Māori and Ireland will evolve.
McGrath believes the NZ/EU FTA and low corporation tax in Ireland are good incentives and the ease of doing business in NZ and Ireland is also helpful.
The Time Is Now!
One of Peter Ryan's last acts in NZ as ambassador was to preside over the launch of Māori/Irish strategy.
It's an area he has invested a lot of time and energy into developing closer business and cultural ties between Māori, Pacifica and Irish. He believes the time is right now for the two parties to work closer together and build on the natural and complementary synergies that the two people have.
Ryan says, in the modern world, people and consumers are look for authenticity and that is one of the strengths of Irish and Māori people.
"I think that Māori and Irish people are really well placed because of that," he told Rural News. "The eco systems we have, the background we have, the way we look at the world and the way we seek partnership but only after we have developed trust. That is so special."
Ryan says during his career, he's seen many companies set up major business in Ireland because of cultural ties and says NZ is extremely well placed to do likewise.
Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor says there is huge value in personal links which both Ireland and NZ enjoy. He says both the Irish and iwi are committed in a sustainable way to developing opportunities from their land.
"In some areas of trade, the Irish may see us as direct competitors and that is the case in some markets," he told Rural News. "But the reality in other areas - such as agricultural emissions, biodiversity management, regional development - we share many similar challenges and are working collaboratively to solve them."
The Next Steps
The report provides useful data and contacts for those individuals and companies in either country to establish new business opportunities. There are lists of organisations in both countries that can help including IBNNZ.
What impresses is how quickly Ireland has moved from being mainly an exporter of primary products to an internationally recognised technology hub where services earn more than the primary sector.
Of particular interest to Māori is the fact that Ireland now has 27 innovation hubs in Gaeltacht or Irish speaking parts that country, which have led to new businesses being created in regions, brought new life to the Irish language and created over 300 new jobs.
Māori technology businessman and entrepreneur Wayne Mulligan, who has Irish connections, is a great admirer of the way that Ireland has emerged as world leader in the field of technology. He believes that NZ should do the same and told Rural News that 'services' offer more potential for Māori than the primary sector.
Mulligan says for NZ to succeed economically it needs to follow the Irish example and create businesses that appeal to highly talented young people.
"Slaughterhouses are not exciting businesses for those young people getting qualifications," he says. "They are going to go where there is exciting stuff. Take the screen industry - that is being driven by young who are doing the stuff - writing code and designing.
"That's what excites them not picking fruit off a tree."
He claims that NZ has to have a different mind-set on this and that's why Ireland has attracted global companies to locate them.
Wayne Mulligan says it's time for NZ to export its 'intelligence'.
The Time Is Now!
One of Peter Ryan's last acts in NZ as ambassador was to preside over the launch of Māori/Irish strategy.
It's an area he has invested a lot of time and energy into developing closer business and cultural ties between Māori, Pacifica and Irish. He believes the time is right now for the two parties to work closer together and build on the natural and complementary synergies that the two people have.
Ryan says, in the modern world, people and consumers are look for authenticity and that is one of the strengths of Irish and Māori people.
"I think that Māori and Irish people are really well placed because of that," he told Rural News. "The eco systems we have, the background we have, the way we look at the world and the way we seek partnership but only after we have developed trust. That is so special."
Ryan says during his career, he's seen many companies set up major business in Ireland because of cultural ties and says NZ is extremely well placed to do likewise.
Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor says there is huge value in personal links which both Ireland and NZ enjoy. He says both the Irish and iwi are committed in a sustainable way to developing opportunities from their land.
"In some areas of trade, the Irish may see us as direct competitors and that is the case in some markets," he told Rural News. "But the reality in other areas - such as agricultural emissions, biodiversity management, regional development - we share many similar challenges and are working collaboratively to solve them."
