Catherine Beard: Business NZ Advocacy Director on the establishment of Invest New Zealand

Business NZ's Advocacy Director says Invest New Zealand is looking to hire people with an array of international connections. 

The government organisation's been given $85 million over four years to work with global investors to create jobs, boost innovation, and lift productivity. 

Catherine Beard told Ryan Bridge potential employees should be well-connected around the world. 

She says they should be looking at where the opportunities and gaps are, and where we actually need investment. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
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Speaker 2 (00:17):
Today, we'll officially have a new regulatory body for overseas investment.
Invest in Z is an agency set up to help
attract and retain large investment from overseas buyers. Responsible Minister
Tom McClay hopes US will create jobs and boost productivity.
Catherine Beds, the Business in ZED Advocacy director, with us
this morning. Catherine, good morning, Good morning. So this is
obviously going to be an expensive exercise. I think forty

(00:39):
five million dollars over the next few years. Are we
sure eighty five million dollars over four years to establish
it and it's as itself as an autonomous Crown entity.
Is it going to be worth it? Do we think? Oh?

Speaker 3 (00:53):
Look, we definitely had to do something, Ryan. We are
one of the hardest places to invest in the OECD
and as everybody knows, investment is the lifeblood of economic success,
so we needed to make it easier and I think
this is a really good start. It will be much

(01:13):
much more of a bespoke concierge sort of approach. I
think they've looked at Ireland and other countries that do
it far better than we do. And my understanding is
it's going to be quite a small, lean and mean
agency as well, and they're taking some of that work
away from MZTE, so hopefully it's not going to be

(01:34):
too expensive.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
Right And do you what sort of people do you
think that they'll be hiring.

Speaker 4 (01:42):
Look, I've heard that it'll be people with really good
roll indecks of international investors and connections, so they should
be well connected to investors around the world, and you know,
they should be also looking at where the opportunities are
here and where our gaps are and where.

Speaker 3 (02:00):
We actually need investment. So well connected people. Not a
lot of them my understanding, but well connected all right.

Speaker 2 (02:07):
So we will live and across our fingers and hope
and pray that this works. We need to, of course,
have attractive investments here to begin with. Is this is
our problem just cosmetic We're not you know, advertising ourselves
well enough? Or are there a lack of viable attractive deals?

Speaker 1 (02:25):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (02:25):
Look, I think there'll be a lot to invest in
in New Zealand. You know, as you know, we have
a big infrastructure deficit. There's a lot of spending that
needs to be done. And yeah, and you know, look,
I think we've got a lot of opportunities in the
future if we get into some more long term thinking.

(02:45):
And you know, business is Zealand we're advocating thirty years.
You know, have a thirty year horizon. What will we need,
what could we be great at and let's have a
plan and get on with it.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
Catherine, appreciate your time this morning. Thank you for coming on.
Catherine Beard. Business Ends Advocacy Directed for.

Speaker 1 (03:04):
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