When you're running a business in New Zealand, the idea of exporting can feel both exciting and overwhelming. Do you go straight to Australia? Is your pricing right? What if the market doesn’t respond the way you expect?
In our recent B2B Inspired podcasts, we hear from both sides of the export journey.
Philippa Cameron from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) shares what support is available for New Zealand businesses looking to export, for example, online tools, market research, and one-to-one advice.
BeeNZ founders Julie and David Hayes walk us through the highs and lows of building their honey business for international markets, and how they used the tools available to them for success.
If you're thinking about expansion, here are our key takeaways.
1. Exporting is more than just shipping product
NZTE’s Philippa Cameron emphasised that entering a new market involves unexpected complexity. It’s not just about logistics; it’s about fit, pricing, regulation, and positioning. More recently, tariffs have been a main topic of concern.
“Depending on what sector you’re in and what product you’re in, it can be more complex than what you’ve anticipated.”
– Philippa Cameron, NZTE
2. BeeNZ built their export plan from the ground up
Julie and David Hayes didn’t just scale their existing operations, they built a brand, facility, and export strategy from scratch. They invested in compliance, certifications, and trademarking before selling a single jar of honey.
“For the year it took to build and put all the infrastructure in… I focussed on getting the trademark, building the brand story, putting some marketing material, finding some orders, finding a market.”
– Julie Hayes, BeeNZ
3. Support is available
BeeNZ started with light-touch support from NZTE but unlocked more help as their business grew. From logistics advice to market identification, Julie credits that external support as a major part of their success.
“When we first started, I was only sort of on the lowest level of support, but they still had lots of resources available to help identify markets and sort of put some export plans in place.”
– Julie Hayes, BeeNZ
4. The first step is clarity
Before reaching out for support, exporters need to know their value proposition and target market. That’s what makes the partnership with NZTE most effective and helps avoid costly missteps.
“One of the best things that organisations can be thinking about is; do they really understand the total addressable market?… What’s your value proposition and how is it going to resonate in-market?”
– Philippa Cameron, NZTE
There is a wealth of free resources available to New Zealand businesses on the NZTE website.
