NZ Business Podcast - Paul Spain
00:36:56 · Jamie Beaton, Paul Spain
[00:36:56] S0: Yeah. So I guess, firstly, on an academic note, I guess my interest probably began fairly early on in debating in high school in New Zealand, because a lot of the time you're debating different policy areas. And I guess when I was doing my DPhil at Oxford, was at the Blavatnik School of Government, which is all about how you take research and apply it in government to drive impact. I think government's interesting because you can have massive impact through policy changes, but it's so painful sometimes to get anything done in it's such an entrenched bureaucracy that is... And ultimately, politics is super consequential to the whole country's life or the world. I mean, you know, one man sitting in, you know, Washington, D. C. Can, you know, globally spike oil prices with, you know, the push of a button. And so I think for me, you know, it's very consequential to humanity. If done well, it can create massive change, and it relates to everything in business, of course, too. But ultimately, you know, it's the governing body that the Western countries have chosen to, you know, push their countries forwards, and that inherently makes it really interesting. [00:37:49] S1: So looking at New Zealand politics, what would you imagine a kind of a utopia or a sort of perfect version of New Zealand politics might look like?
00:37:49 · Paul Spain, Jamie Beaton
[00:37:49] S1: So looking at New Zealand politics, what would you imagine a kind of a utopia or a sort of perfect version of New Zealand politics might look like? [00:38:01] S0: That's a good... Well, that's a great question. I think at the core of New Zealand, there's a bit of a struggle between two alternative visions for the country. One, it's this hermit kingdom where foreigners can't, you know, move here, where we're locking ourselves off from, you know, trade, where, you know, we're happy to sort of just compete locally. We don't want Kiwis to move abroad, and we just look very inward. And the second is really a globally open competitive New Zealand that, you know, encourages people from around the world to be here, is proud of Kiwis to go abroad and shine abroad and come back. So I think as a country in New Zealand, we kinda have to decide. Do we wanna be a country for, you know, local born Kiwis that is pretty inward facing and we're kinda content with the economic consequence of that? Or do we wanna have a bigger vision for our country on the world stage? And so I think we're kind of wrestling with that right now. I think if New Zealand can decide, and I I personally think it should be the more open version of New Zealand that's ambitious on the world stage and lock into that vision, it provides at least an overarching framework everyone can get behind, and then you don't have as much, you know, fundamental policy disagreement.
00:38:01 · Jamie Beaton, Paul Spain
[00:38:01] S0: That's a good... Well, that's a great question. I think at the core of New Zealand, there's a bit of a struggle between two alternative visions for the country. One, it's this hermit kingdom where foreigners can't, you know, move here, where we're locking ourselves off from, you know, trade, where, you know, we're happy to sort of just compete locally. We don't want Kiwis to move abroad, and we just look very inward. And the second is really a globally open competitive New Zealand that, you know, encourages people from around the world to be here, is proud of Kiwis to go abroad and shine abroad and come back. So I think as a country in New Zealand, we kinda have to decide. Do we wanna be a country for, you know, local born Kiwis that is pretty inward facing and we're kinda content with the economic consequence of that? Or do we wanna have a bigger vision for our country on the world stage? And so I think we're kind of wrestling with that right now. I think if New Zealand can decide, and I I personally think it should be the more open version of New Zealand that's ambitious on the world stage and lock into that vision, it provides at least an overarching framework everyone can get behind, and then you don't have as much, you know, fundamental policy disagreement. [00:39:01] S1: From a a business perspective, you know, what would be the... Some advice that you would... You might share with with our listeners in terms of, you know, some something that's that's, you know, been really key for you and your success?
00:39:15 · Jamie Beaton, Paul Spain
[00:39:15] S0: I think almost any ambitious Kiwi company has to export and has to go offshore. For me, within the first eighteen months, we began selling into Australia and then, you know, going offshore. And New Zealand's a fantastic HQ location. Even today, our headquarters is in New Zealand, you know, and we're we're really proud of that. We've got many of our key executives here, but we've been able to take that and, you know, compete in China and in India and in America and and beat the local guys and build this global company. So I think as a Kiwi businessman or a Kiwi entrepreneur, don't be afraid to tackle Australia. Don't be afraid to look into Southeast Asia. And, you know, you've gotta get out there to win those markets. You know, we only were able to crack all these markets by flying out there, building teams on the ground, challenging the status quo. And I think, you know, we're well positioned to do that. New Zealand's a great place where there's, you know, almost no corruption. It's easy to register companies. It's easy to hire. There's great talent here locally. So it's a great hub. But because of the size of the country, we've got to export, compete, and win on the world stage. So I think if you've been, you know, boarding a great Kiwi company for five or six years and you haven't yet figured out a foreign market to attack, you know, maybe think about And [00:40:16] S1: looking at our tech sector, what your thoughts on, you know, things that we should be aware of, you know, going forward to help us do better?
00:40:16 · Paul Spain, Jamie Beaton, Paul Spain
[00:40:16] S1: looking at our tech sector, what your thoughts on, you know, things that we should be aware of, you know, going forward to help us do better? [00:40:26] S0: So one of the things that I really think we have to do is dramatically level up our education system, particularly our math education. You need to view sort of math excellence as almost something of, like, national security importance, because in the AI era, you know, this is one of the key skills that actually lets you build these transformative companies. Think about, for example, you know, a place like, you know, Singapore or, you know, Denmark. I think about, for example, the maker of Ozempic. That one company is is almost as big as the whole GDP of the country. And so if we can, for example, build more of these transformative technology companies that, you know, aren't just solving a small problem, but actually can compete as one of the mainstream, you know, global winners, that can really transform our economy. And you see with, you know, Ireland, only a couple of big tech companies based there, like Stripe, have made a big difference to their economy, their GDP per capita. And I think, you know, that's probably a good way a good way forwards. [00:41:16] S1: Was there anything else that you'd like to add? [00:41:19] S0: No. That's fantastic. Very spicy. I appreciated it. Really interesting questions. And you've challenged me to make sure the next five years are more interesting than the last. [00:41:27] S1: Look forward to [00:41:28] S2: it. Yeah. Great.
00:41:28 · Paul Spain, Paul Spain
[00:41:28] S2: it. Yeah. Great. [00:41:29] S1: Thank you. Thank you, Jamie. Cheers. Much appreciated. [00:41:32] S2: Well, I hope you really enjoyed hearing from Jamie Beaton, founder and chief executive at Crimson Education. And if you want to learn more about Jamie and the early years of Crimson Education, then check out our previous New Zealand Business Podcast interview with him. And of course, we also have a recent New Zealand Tech Podcast interview with Jamie. The New Zealand Business Podcast has been brought to you by One New Zealand and Gorilla Technology. Be sure to listen in to our other episodes featuring many of New Zealand's most incredible leaders. The likes of Brooke Roberts from Sharesies, Sir Peter Beck of Rocket Lab, Cecilia Robinson from My Food Bag and Tend, Sir Stephen Tyndall, and many more. And be sure to share this episode with a friend or colleague who you think will benefit from it. A final question. If you're working at a midsize or smaller organization, are you completely confident your organization has its house in order from a cybersecurity and data privacy perspective. If you're not so sure, then get in touch with Gorilla Technology for an initial advisory session. Well, thanks for listening in. This is Paul Spain signing out. I'll catch you again on the next episode. [00:42:51] S1: The New Zealand Business Podcast brought to you by Gorilla Technology, your strategic and proactive IT partner.