Waikato Students To Represent New Zealand In World Cup
Waikato Students In Free Enterprise On Their Way To Barcelona
Auckland, 5 July 2004 - As part of the Innovation Festival 2004, students from Waikato Management School have been
chosen to represent New Zealand at the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) World Cup in Barcelona, 22nd - 24th September,
2004.
At the SIFE New Zealand National Competition, the Waikato Management team was selected in a tight final race over
students from Auckland University of Technology. Other prize winners were teams from Victoria University and from
Canterbury University. The competition was judged by more than 40 corporate executives from various New Zealand
companies.
Jens Mueller, SIFE NZ Executive Director and SIFE's Asia Regional Director says that the results from the national
competition show the entrepreneurial strength that New Zealand has in its future business leaders.
"New Zealand's emerging managers show an outstanding talent to communicate their abilities to identify and pursue
real-life business opportunities," says Mueller.
SIFE is supported by thousands of business leaders worldwide, to identify superior management talent early and to allow
students to manage businesses outside the classroom.
Alan Williams, New Zealand Country Manager for Qantas was a first-time judge at the event and was very impressed with
the quality of the students at the competition.
"This is an excellent forum for future business leaders to showcase their talents - and to place a strong focus on
ethical and sustainable community work," says Williams.
Likewise Bill Wilkinson, partner at KPMG and host of this year's Auckland event was also full of praise for the overall
standard of competition and ability demonstrated by the students.
"There is some enormous skill building that happened here today, and all of these students have a tremendous opportunity
now to continue in practice what they have learned through SIFE, operating profitably with a strong regard for community
needs."
Mueller also believes that New Zealand has a superb chance to reach the top at the World Cup in Barcelona.
"New Zealand students understand free markets better than in some other countries, and also understand the needs to
balance business needs with community requirements. I'm confident that those abilities will be impressive to corporate
judges at the world class level," says Mueller.
Executives from nearly 40 key New Zealand firms participated as judges of this years contest. Some of the key companies
that participated were Bell Gully, Beattie Rickman, Scott Kindercare, Degussa, NZ Dairy Foods, The Warehouse, Hubbard's
Foods, Hudson TMP, Pumpkin Patch, Avnet, Harcourts, Celentis, Department of Justice, LEK Consulting, Fonterra, KPMG,
Qantas, Pohlen Kean, Gallagher Group, Gen-I and Endeavour Capital.
ENDS