The changing face of business

Now, while New Zealand's economy is in good shape, is the time to get serious about transforming it.

It is not enough to simply enjoy the golden weather and survive the storms if we want to grow real wealth across the social spectrum in this country.

Commodities and agricultural exports continue to serve us well but an over-reliance on any one sector creates risks. Time and time again we've seen economic progress towards a wealthier, more equitable country cut short by a commodity slump or a global economic crisis.

And then there is the problem of creating jobs for the next generation of highly urbanised New Zealanders.

No one can predict what jobs our children will be doing in the future because the business landscape is changing too fast.

Many of the jobs and the companies that will create them don't exist yet.

But the trends are clear. We need to equip young people for a different working world to the one we grew up in.

We need to need to put technological literacy at the heart of our education policies and we need to encourage an increasingly entrepreneurial spirit in whatever area of study our young people choose to follow.

In doing that we need to keep encouraging the creativity and lateral thinking that marks out the most successful New Zealanders and has taken them to the top of the world in so many fields.

If we get that mix right then they will be equipped to do the jobs of the future and more importantly - to create them.

There is no question that we need to transform our economy. We need to keep growing our tech sector in all its variations - from food science to cloud computing. We need to build on the fantastic platform that generations of innovators, entrepreneurs and exporters have laid for this country.

Now, while the going is good, is the time to the make plans to keep it that way.