Design key to Business export success

“The better New Zealand’s design – the greater our exports,” says Jim Anderton.

Jim Anderton, Minister for Industry and Regional Development, has welcomed moves to help New Zealand businesses achieve export success through better use of design and has said the Government will respond in the next few months.

Speaking today at the launch of the Design Taskforce Report “Success by Design”, Jim Anderton said that in a fiercely competitive global environment, innovation, imagination and creativity would be the key to New Zealand’s economic growth in the future.

The report, ‘Success By Design’, outlines strategies for better integration of design into a business’ product development lifecycle. The aim is help grow New Zealand’s exports by making New Zealand-made products more internationally competitive.

“By being a design-led business, you immediately increase the value and quality of your product – leading to greater export success through better visibility, brand awareness, increased sales and market share.

“Well designed products, with a New Zealand stamp on them - from furniture to baggage handling systems, to appliances – all have the ability to completely transform the way consumers and importers around the world perceive New Zealand and what its capable of producing,” said Jim Anderton.

The Government-appointed Design Taskforce, established in 2002, authored the report. Its work has been facilitated by Industry New Zealand. The design industry, along with Biotechnology and Information and Communication Technology, has been identified as an industry that can promote growth in other sectors by adding value to their profitability.

“We need to strengthen links between our designers and our innovative businesses for New Zealand to be operating at the top of its economic potential,” said Jim Anderton.

“The 2001/2002 World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness report Worldwide, revealed there is a strong correlation between the countries that have achieved a high competitiveness ranking and their design capability.

“Several successful international economies including Finland, Denmark, Ireland, and the UK understand this and have developed policies and strategies to better integrate design into business,” he said.

Jim Anderton said that New Zealand businesses’ size and distance from key markets, meant that they had to think outside the square to capture consumer attention and crack export markets.

“By establishing ourselves on the global market, as an innovative, high-quality provider of well-designed, customer-focused products, we open doors for all New Zealand businesses to target lucrative global niches,” he said.

“Effective use of design will enable New Zealand businesses to showcase their ingenuity and innovation on the international stage, and achieve greater export success.”

EDITORS NOTE

Design Taskforce, http:// http://www.industrytaskforces.govt.nz

The Design Taskforce was formed in May 2002 in response to the Government’s Growth and Innovation Framework.

Hon. Jim Anderton, Minister for Industry and Regional Development is convenor of the Taskforce, whose members are:

Ray Labone, (Chairman) DesignWorks Richard Cutfield, Pencarrow Investments Mary Davy, Maxim-Group Ltd Neville Findlay, Zambesi Professor Simon Fraser, Victoria University Peter Haythornthwaite, Creative Labs Michael James, UNITEC Bina Klose, Shape Design Ltd Jeremy Moon, Icebreaker Mark Pennington, Formway Furniture Professor John Raine, Canterbury University Henare Walmsley, Tawhiri Architects Professor Leong Yap, Massey University

Its terms of reference were: Raising the awareness of design as a key enabler for industry in New Zealand and within the New Zealand creative industries;

Developing a design-focused strategy for selected manufacturing and New Zealand industry in general;

Developing an awareness of the significance of and need for a more focused and collaborative approach within design-using industries;

Promoting the importance of protecting design IP; and providing information to help shape sector strategy.

The taskforce has expanded on these initial terms of reference to take up the challenge of creating a transformation that increases the value and competitiveness of New Zealand businesses through strategic use of design, and builds on New Zealand's design capability.

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