Three Ministers for Small Business and Manufacturing in Three Years
Andrew Bayly, Chris Penk and Cameron Brewer have been the ministers for Small Business and Manufacturing in the past three years. How has this happened? Manufacturing in New Zealand requires a strong focus and a minister in the position for the long haul (or three years as the political term […]
Better thinking, better results: The two-day world class productivity simulation that builds capability
By Neil Robinson, a Senior Business Consultant with Argon & Co (Auckland) specialising in productivity improvement, Lean systems and capability building. Welcome back! If you joined us for Article 1, you’ll remember how the World Class Productivity Simulation gives teams a powerful, hands-on experience of what helps — and what […]
Making scope 3 manageable: how to use spend-based emission factors
Manufacturers need a clear view of emissions across their value chain to identify hotspots, manage risk and meet reporting requirements. The challenge is that supply chains are complex, with limited visibility beyond direct suppliers. This makes scope 3 emissions difficult to quantify. Unlike scope 1 and scope 2, they […]
The most expensive decision you signed off
Why not investing still shows up on your P&L Not many of us would say it out loud at the next networking event or Friday drinks. The biggest barrier to growth in New Zealand manufacturing isn’t the banks, isn’t the government, and it isn’t Donald Trump. It’s us. […]
New Zealand manufacturers leaving value on the table in functional foods
As global markets shift toward science-led, high-margin nutrition, New Zealand risks missing a significant opportunity in functional foods, reflecting a sector that has been slow to move beyond its traditional commodity mindset, writes Mark Devlin, director of Impact PR and NZ Manufacturer business advisor. New Zealand is sitting on a […]
Focus on: Quanton
Garry Green, Managing Director and Founder Tell readers what your company does Quanton is an AI, automation and operational excellence business founded in 2016 with a clear purpose: empowering humanity for tomorrow’s technology, today. We help ANZ organisations navigate digital transformation by making AI and automation work for people, not […]
From pillars to performance: How Vitaco is building capability at scale
Adam Harvey, Business Performance Partner – Manufacturing ,The Learning Wave Walk into most manufacturers, and you’ll see the same thing. Clear strategy. Strong systems. Well-defined KPIs. And then…a gap. Not everyone on the floor can see how they contribute. The gap is where performance is won or lost. Vitaco recognised […]
The emotional reality of a business exit
Mike Warmington, Director, Platform 1 Letting go of your business is often like letting go a piece of yourself. It’s been your life and you have been the business. Your identity is wrapped up in, and your confidence and self-worth are linked to its success. Staff feel like family and […]
Has the manufacturing sector fallen off the regulatory radar – or is relief quietly on its way?
Hanna Tevita, Senior Associate, Buddle Findlay In July 2025, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden signalled a welcome commitment to the manufacturing sector – consultation aimed at “simplifying machine guarding rules and reviewing exposure standards to reduce complexity and improve consistency.” Since that consultation, the sector has seen […]
The cost of Deindustrialisation: How New Zealand’s manufacturing decline threatens our economic future
NZ Manufacturer magazine includes expert comment and analysis from Sean Doherty, Ian Walsh, Geerten Lengkeek, Dr. Megan Woods, and soon, the new Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing, Cameron Brewer. In this election year, we welcome feedback from you, the reader, on the issues you would like the incoming government […]
New Zealand still makes things, but for how much longer?
By Hon Dr Megan Woods, Labour spokesperson for Manufacturing and Industry The workers losing their jobs at the McCain’s Hastings vegetable processing factory don’t need economists to tell them that the economy isn’t working for them. They already know it. So do the workers at Heinz Wattie’s, at Kinleith Mill, […]
Kauricone enhances InterfaceOS
NZ-developed operating system to reduce costs and boost productivity Kauricone has announced significant enhancements to InterfaceOS, its lightweight, productivity-focused operating system designed to help organisations and individuals reduce IT costs while improving performance on both new and older desktop and laptop computers. InterfaceOS simplifies computing environments by reducing system complexity, […]
Fonterra’s real turnaround was productivity
From April issue of NZ Manufacturer magazine Geerten Lengkeek, Managing Director, Productivity People Miles Hurrell’s resignation marks the end of a significant chapter for Fonterra, and in many ways, for New Zealand. Fonterra isn’t just another company. It’s our largest business, a global-scale manufacturer, and the commercial engine behind a big part of our primary sector. When Fonterra performs, New Zealand performs. What stands out to me about the Hurrell era is this:the real turnaround wasn’t about growth, it was about productivity. He inherited a business that had achieved global scale, but not always strong returns. Revenue was high, but capital wasn’t working as hard as it could. Over the past six to seven years, that has fundamentally shifted. Return on capital has moved from around 5–6% to consistently around 11–12%, without a material increase in milk supply. That tells you something important. This wasn’t a volume story. It was a conversion story, and that’s what productivity really is. Better conversion of milk into value. Better use of assets to drive throughput and margin. Better deployment of capital into earnings. A big part of that has been strategic focus. Simplifying the portfolio, exiting lower-return businesses, and refocusing on Ingredients and Foodservice where Fonterra has real advantage. But just as important is what’s happened inside the system. This is a manufacturing business at scale. Productivity is won or lost in how well you manage flow, yield, and asset utilisation: from farm through to processing and export. Many years ago, my colleague Nick Brownsword and I were involved in the early operational excellence work in Fonterra. Even then, it was clear how much opportunity existed in improving flow, reducing waste, and aligning the system end-to-end. What’s been encouraging is seeing how those ideas have evolved and matured, and how this is […]