TIM GIBSON (CEO, NEW ZEALAND TRADE & ENTERPRISE): NZTE has changed its awards programme to better reflect that it's not simply about exporting product from New Zealand, it's about being engaged intimately in the international marketplace, and we felt the change to the name was an important message, that it's all about being more involved in the marketplace.
Internationalisation is important to New Zealand because the evidence shows clearly that economies which are quite active in investing in international markets perform better than other economies. New Zealand's percentage of exports to GDP has remained relatively static over the last 15 to 20 years and it's really important that we encourage New Zealand companies to move beyond a traditional exporting model to be much more engaged in the international marketplace.
New Zealand businesses should enter the international business awards for a number of reasons. One, it provides them with an opportunity to compare themselves to their peer group and that's a very valuable experience.
Secondly, the process of entering into the awards enables the companies to think differently about how they're operating and again that's an important learning experience. And then thirdly, success in the awards is a very important marketing tool because it shows that that particular company really is a special company and they can use that to good effect to promote their goods and services.
Obviously times are really tough in the international economy and it's difficult to get motivated perhaps to celebrate success but frankly, what better opportunity and what better time is it to celebrate success. We need to recognise those companies who are special, those companies who make an effort to get involved internationally.
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