JackYan.com
Jack and Aston Martin V8 Vantage Monaco street signs
Jack Yan: the Persuader blog
  Click here to go to home pageWhat I stand forMy stuffWhat others have recently saidMeet some of the coolest folks I knowDrop me a line Visit my workplace
> My stuff > The Persuader Blog


11.8.06

‘New Zealand Made’ means New Zealand-made: how hard is that? 

I don’t normally repost here, but today’s big story here—in terms of fashion—touches on several areas that I would write on. Therefore, I was compelled to issue a media statement, which follows.

Lucire publisher takes issue with changes to New Zealand Made

Wellington, August 12 (JY&A Media) Lucire, one of the few locally owned , and the only one translated and published in Europe, has urged Sue Bradford and the New Zealand Green Party to keep the late Rod Donald’s vision of a Made campaign intact.
   , the ’s publisher, has taken the opposite view to Icebreaker CEO Jeremy Moon, who believes that the campaign should be extended to New Zealand- but products.
   ‘With respect, Mr Moon probably is not aware of the late Rod Donald’s wish that the New Zealand Made campaign be used to boost local jobs,’ he says.
   ‘I have been an advocate of , if done morally. I know Icebreaker has chosen manufacturers. I applaud Jeremy. But that is not the issue here.
   ‘Mr Donald was concerned by how globalization did not always help the host nation, and how Kiwi were being farmed off abroad.
   ‘The textiles’ industry has been particularly hard hit of late, and Mr Donald knew this.
   ‘To turn something that Mr Donald believed in into a pro-globalization campaign would be a mockery,’ he says.
   Mr Yan says that the ’s exports ‘plateaued’ in 2004 and appeared to continue declining, based on available figures. He puts the blame on outsourcing.
   ‘There are clever ways of , and there are daft ways. The clever way is to those elements of production that are simple, and to retain a local for more complex or ones. The trick is to innovate enough so that both countries benefit,’ he explains.
   ‘However, a lot of companies outsource, without realizing that they are giving away trade secrets to companies, among others,’ he says. ‘New Balance has already been a victim of a Red Chinese contractor reverse-engineering, and has spent millions in lawsuits. I do not think New Zealand companies are well equipped enough to fight this threat.’
   Earlier this year, he proposed that a textiles’ be created to endorse the sector, separate from the New Zealand Made campaign, to protect local jobs.
   ‘I did not want to suggest anything that diluted Rod Donald’s memory. Nor did I want to suggest anything that insulted those who were pushing for . Those are the Kiwis taking the hard way out, and they need this country’s support,’ he says.
   Mr Yan says he is not a supporter, though he has pushed for strong ecological and environmental aims with Lucire and his work at the Medinge Group, a Swedish on meeting this month. He was also one of the first people in New Zealand to write about , as CEO of JY&A Consulting and a leading .
   ‘I am aware that what companies like Icebreaker do, not to mention the work done by many of my friends in the . They bring in export dollars and create high-value, -based jobs here.
   ‘But there is room for something separate from New Zealand Made to be created in these situations.’
   Mr Yan pointed to New Zealand Trade & Enterprise’s New Zealand, New Thinking campaign as a sign of what could be done, but specifically for the and textiles’ sectors.


   I have to be politically correct in these, which is the only annoying thing. I don’t think a great deal of some of these New Zealand branding campaigns, because history has shown them to be ill-considered. So notice I was conditional enough. Some days, I dislike the lack of in press releases—including my own.
   To the Greens, don’t give in to Labour Party pressure or to any of its friends. If you have a , stick to it. It will mean more in the long run, whether others or I agree with it or not.

Del.icio.us tags: globalization New Zealand manufacturing outsourcing fashion industry
Post a Comment  Links to this post

Comments:
Mr. Yan

I read with interest your articles on branding and globalisation.

I believe that the main issue is smart outsourcing and in particular, the fact that now we have more of a "NZ MADE, FOREIGN OWNED" style. This is somewhat a more hidden matter away from the public eyes. I believe NZ losses out way more from the above.  
Thank you, Anonymous. I only just found your comment linked to this post (there’s no way of telling in Blogger). I quite agree: even when we buy Just Juice we are helping the Danone group of France.  
Post a Comment

Links to this post:

Create a Link

 

 

Note

Entries from 2006 to the end of 2009 were done on the Blogger service. As of January 1, 2010, this blog has shifted to a Wordpress installation, with the latest posts here.
   With Blogger ceasing to support FTP publishing on May 1, I have decided to turn these older pages in to an archive, so you will no longer be able to enter comments. However, you can comment on entries posted after January 1, 2010.


Quick links

Surf to the online edition of Lucire
  • More ramblings at the Lucire Insider blog
  • The Medinge Group
  • Jack Yan for Mayor
  • My Facebook page
  • Follow me on Twitter
  • My Vkontakte page
  • Book me for public speaking
  • Contact JY&A Consulting on business projects
  • Check out fonts from JY&A Fonts
  • Add feeds




    Add feed to Bloglines

    Individual JY&A and Medinge Group blogs

  • Lucire: Insider
  • Summer Rayne Oakes
  • The Medinge Group press room
  • Detective Marketing
  • Amanda van Kuppevelt
  • Delineate Brandhouse
  • Paolo Vanossi
  • Nigel Dunn
  • Pameladevi Govinda
  • Endless Road
  • Avidiva news
  • Johnnie Moore’s Weblog
  • Steal This Brand Too
  • The Beyond Branding Blog
  • Ton’s Interdependent Thoughts
  • Partum Intelligendo
  • Right Side up
  • Headshift
  • Goiaba Brazilian Music
  • Jack Yan on Tumblr (brief addenda)

  • +

    Previous posts

  • The cyclo travels west
  • Arguing on Good Morning
  • Blogger outage today
  • Coke was it
  • Back on the circuit
  • Mitsubishi goes from style leader to product-pushe...
  • Happy Danes are here again
  • Ford may sell Jaguar, with Land Rover as sweetener...
  • Finding Smart money by not Dodging Colt
  • Managing the personal brand


  • Donate

    If you wish to help with my hosting costs, please feel free to donate.