Amelia Linzey, Group CEO of engineering, design and advisory firm Beca. Photo / Supplied
Amelia Linzey, Group CEO of engineering, design and advisory firm Beca. Photo / Supplied
Opinion by Amelia Linzey
THREE KEY FACTS
Around 81% of our exports are in the food and fibre sector.
Few countries are blessed with natural renewable energy resources like ours – windy coastlines, mighty rivers, elevation, geothermal fields.
Nature underpins 50% of global GDP and more in the case of Aotearoa.
As New Zealanders, we thrive on competition and love winning – whether it’s on the kapa haka stage, or in sporting arenas around the country and the world. But as a nation, do we bring the same passion for winning to our economic pursuits? And how dowe measure what economic “winning” looks like?
The concept of “picking winners” has resurfaced in public discourse. While the phrase carries baggage from the Think Big projects of the 1970s, we shouldn’t shy away from it. Picking winners is a fundamental task for governments, investors, and businesses – just as it is for sporting coaches. With limited resources and finances at our disposal, sharpening our focus on strategic sectors is vital for long-term success – and what better way to start than backing the winners we already have.
From my pragmatic perspective, as someone leading an infrastructure design and engineering firm, picking winners involves making deliberate choices about where to invest to create compelling possibilities for New Zealand’s future. Here are four sectors I believe hold immense potential to propel Aotearoa to turn on growth:
1. Agritech: Feeding the world
New Zealand already excels in producing premium food exports – from wine to dairy – that nourish countries worldwide. Around 81% of our exports are in the food and fibre sector and end up on international shelves. Future growth in this sector is fundamental.
New Zealand’s farmers are the world’s most efficient and productive, and our products are valued for the quality of farming activity in Aotearoa. We need to continue to decarbonise the supply chain from input through to export, so we differentiate our premium value products on the shelf, maintaining and enhancing our value to discerning customers. This is about both how we grow and how we ship products to market (considering things like fertiliser, packaging, and sea freight fuels). Low carbon, clean, high quality agricultural products from New Zealand to the world are the principal key to our prosperity and are likely to remain so. Several companies and research institutes are working on methane inhibitors with hope for affordable, scalable solutions (as well as herd selection focus). As such, Agritech also offers opportunities to diversify beyond traditional farming methods. Precision agriculture, vertical farming systems, and biotechnology could revolutionise how we produce food, while addressing environmental challenges such as water use efficiency and carbon emissions.
Our geographical isolation is a challenge in some industries, but it’s a competitive advantage when it comes to space and aerotech. Our dark skies, stable democracy, well-designed regulations and highly educated workforce have made New Zealand an attractive hub for space-related activities over the past decade.
Rocket Lab’s success and the plethora of other start-ups that Rocket Lab has spawned demonstrate what’s possible when ambition meets opportunity. Continued investment in satellite technology, aerospace manufacturing, and research partnerships can position New Zealand as a key player in this thriving global industry.
3. Energy transition: Harnessing renewables
Few countries are blessed with natural renewable energy resources like ours – windy coastlines, mighty rivers, elevation, geothermal fields – and few have capitalised on them as effectively as New Zealand has historically. We’re renowned globally for our clean energy credentials.
Beca’s energy projects in New Zealand and Australia (pictured) are part of a rush to renewables ahead of 2030 climate commitments. Photo / Supplied
Expanding renewable energy production through wind farms, solar, geothermal plants, and hydroelectric facilities could ensure energy security while enabling us to export expertise and clean technology solutions internationally. Investment in battery storage, grid infrastructure and green hydrogen production or ammonia fuel systems would further cement our leadership role in sustainable energy solutions.
4. Film and creative arts: Telling our story
New Zealand is a country rich with stories that resonate globally – a distinctive voice shaped by the oceans that surround us, our landscapes, our culture and our people. The creative arts industry has proven itself time and again as a powerful driver of economic growth through film production, gaming development studios, digital content creation hubs, and cultural exports. The arts and creative sector generates $11.6 billion annually. This is soft power in action.
In an era where demand for content is insatiable worldwide, nurturing talent within this sector can unlock new opportunities – not only for artistic expression but also for regional reindustrialisation, through creative hubs that revitalise local economies.
Prosperous growth is about both wealth generation and vibrant regional communities. Within these sectors, there is an additional layer of opportunity – the chance to bring reindustrialisation back to regional New Zealand and build our competitive advantage. By aligning infrastructure investment and industrial activities with sustainability goals such as decarbonisation programmes or low-carbon product supply chains, we can revitalise regional economies while reinforcing New Zealand’s market sectors for growth.
Beca’s work with the partnership between Bluescope Steel and the Government at Glenbrook will help contribute 5.3% of the emissions reductions required by 2030. Photo / Supplied
A compelling example is the carbon reduction partnership between Bluescope Steel and the Government at Glenbrook, that will contribute 5.3% of the emissions reductions required by 2030, as well as maintaining a supply chain of green steel for NZ. There are multiple other potential wins to achieve in decarbonising across critical supply chains that are part of our sovereign interests and will support getting “low carbon” products to market.
Green hydrogen production offers another avenue worth exploring, not just as an energy source, but also as fuel for transportation markets or (in the case of green-ammonia) fertiliser inputs within agricultural supply chains. Green ammonia opportunities could serve a dual purpose as an alternative shipping fuel energy and a support to improving sustainable agricultural practices.
Native forest restoration opportunities
Another notable success of government and private sector collaboration is the incredible work being done by government, not-for-profits and communities to eliminate predators from native forests. Nature underpins 50% of global GDP and more in the case of Aotearoa (including Agritech and creative arts sectors above). Not only will these efforts enable our biodiversity to flourish and make the native forests sing, they will also create a highly strategic carbon sequestration asset and attract tourists to our shores. This activity needs more investment to create multiplier effects across the economy. The mindset shift is from preserving nature to enabling it to flourish and thereby increasing the value and prosperity that will flow from it.
These initiatives represent tangible pathways toward a positive vision for growth as well as building resilience into both our economy and infrastructure – positioning us firmly on the global stage as leaders in innovative solutions to address challenges facing the world head-on.
A call to action
Winning economically doesn’t happen by accident. It requires deliberate focus backed by bold strategic decisions about where resources should be allocated. I am advocating that we drive our thinking to supporting industry and the growth of our economy in areas where New Zealand holds unique and competitive advantages. The vision is to create and sustain growth pathways that benefit all of us inclusively, bridging gaps and positively inspiring generations to come. Let’s embrace making everyday better as a mindset.
Amelia Linzey is Group CEO of Beca, leading the company’s global strategy and its culture of collaboration and sustainability. Previously she was chief planner and group director of Beca’s advisory business.
