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:migrants in the workforce MASTER CLASS "Their connections [Ethnic businesses] and knowledge of business practices in Asia could mean New Zealand is better placed to secure deals faster, placing us ahead of our competitors. This could be the difference between success and failure." The Second-Generation Migrant Giles Brooker, Chairman, Giles Brooker Group Migrants in every country have the strongest drive to survive. Cut off from traditional community sources of comfort and strength and facing hidden (and sometimes not very well- hidden) resistance from their new country, it's do or die! These are the very issues that New Zealand faces. Fortunately the migrant community has developed the skills to help us. And despite some of our earlier efforts to encourage them to assimilate and lose their identities, they have retained the networks that can now serve us so well in understanding and dealing with new markets. Migrants want New Zealand to be successful in ways that also return benefits to their home communities. I think the challenge for our bigger enterprises is to learn to work with migrants and their communities rather than trying to absorb and assimilate them into the corporate world. Find ways to respect and support the independence of the communities, learn to trust and value their contribution and find ways to develop trading relationships that are two-way streets. We should see our economy growing through relationships that benefit others as much as they benefit ourselves. Giles Brooker Group is developing collaborative trading relationships between India, Singapore and New Zealand. As a second-generation migrant I have re-energised my parents' historical connections with India and linked with more recent migrants and colleagues within India to quickly develop strong and valuable networks. www.gbeducaton.in 46 | www.hermagazine.co.nz The Politician Melissa Lee, National MP Asia is going to play a significantly larger role in New Zealand's future. Especially now with the European economies ailing and facing a long road to recovery Asia's growing and emerging economies are going to play a major role in shaping New Zealand's place on the world economic map. China and India are the most populous nations in the world. Between them they outnumber the total population of the next eight largest populated countries put together, and then some. Indonesia is the fourth largest country with 245 million people, and is growing at a rate of 6 per cent. It has an ever growing middle class and increasing urbanisation, and New Zealand must place itself to meet the hungry demand of a market which is roughly 60 times the size of New Zealand. Imagine a customer base 60 times what we have in New Zealand. And Indonesia is just one country emerging out of Asia. I can only sit in awe of the sheer size of the growing potential this has for New Zealand, a country run by mostly small and medium sized enterprises. To date, 97 percent of New Zealand businesses are classified as SMEs. Ethnic and migrant businesses make up a significant proportion of this SME sector. Building capacity in ethnic SMEs will help unlock the potential to build a more productive and competitive economy, as ethnic businesses hold one of the keys to create jobs, improve New Zealand's trade opportunities, and increase access to the Asia Pacific markets. Ethnic businesses have the cultural expertise, business acumen and international experience New Zealand businesses need. Their connections and knowledge of business practices in Asia could mean New Zealand is better placed to secure deals faster, placing us ahead of our competitors. This could be the difference between success and failure. www.melissalee.co.nz ~ Melissa Lee, National MP