Could you tell us about your background and how you came to be involved in the Co-operative Movement?
Born in the UK, I have also worked in The Netherlands, SE Asia, Canada, Australia and NZ. My accent has a truly international tone, reflecting my global experience and outlook.
Over the years I have always been involved with agricultural commodities, supply chain and world markets, which has brought me into in contact with co-ops globally.
It is a business model for which I have enormous respect; the principles around co-ops are imperative to maintaining a sustainable and ethical approach to business.
Do co-operatives make an important contribution to the economy of New Zealand?
Absolutely: co-ops account for 3% of our national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), employ in excess of 43,000 New Zealanders and turn over NZD 41 billion a year.
Cooperatives fit the culture of Kiwis, we like getting together to get the job done. We are proud of our innovation, and this blossoms within our cooperative businesses.
As the newly appointed chief executive of Cooperative Business New Zealand, what are your main objectives for the years ahead?
My main objectives initially are to continue raising the profile and success of co-ops in New Zealand.
Cooperatives are like our iconic emblem, the kiwi; a little shy about being seen.
We have to change that, be proud to be a co-op and successful: New Zealand-owned enterprises, New Zealand-retained profits, New Zealand employment.
Cooperative Business NZ will continue seeking education programmes that help both our association’s members and their co-op members to be better prepared in governance and management. We need to give everybody the tools for today’s expanding co-operatives without losing the principles.
What would be the main challenges faced by co-operatives in New Zealand and how will Cooperative Business New Zealand try to address these?
There are always challenges in a modern, fast moving world. We need to keep our basic model flexible, we know it works.
As I was telling a senior Parliamentarian just the other day it is critical for NZ co-ops to ensure that the “once-in-a-decade-or more” rewrite of securities legislation is appropriately implemented to reflect the cooperative business model, without significant extra compliance cost. Cooperative Business NZ will continue to advocate vigorously for this outcome.
How do you see the future of the Co-operative Movement in New Zealand?
Bright, but we need to continue to raise cooperative profiles, highlight the tremendous successes across a number of sectors: agriculture, financial services, large and small retail, arable, horticulture to name but a few. We will continue to express the credentials of the business model, its proven long-term sustainability and, importantly, the ethos behind this success. Finally we will press on with raising awareness but, in the co-operative spirit, this is a task that we must all share.
