April 2020 Update

Welcome to SEA CAPE’s April update.

Like all of you, the last month has been full of unexpected change for SEA CAPE. We are all now working from home and making adjustments in our programmes as appropriate for online delivery.

From next week, we will also be delivering a special two-hour webinar specifically focused on how businesses in Southeast Asia are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, with lessons for New Zealand businesses

Sadly we have had to postpone our planned TMIP stakeholder events scheduled in Dunedin, Auckland and Wellington this month, but the students’ projects are now available on our website. The four reports on healthcare technology, Singapore as a hub, social enterprise, and food and beverages will be useful readings for businesses looking to engage in these areas in Southeast Asia.

We are already running our popular Market Readiness Programme online. There will be more dates available very soon, so check back on our website and social media channels regularly

Finally, we’re excited to announce our new digital badges for alumni, which we award to businesses and individuals who have participated in SEA CAPE programmes to show on LinkedIn and other digital platforms. If you're eligible for any of our programme badges, you will be receiving more information about these soon by email.

In the meantime, stay safe everyone, and thanks for helping us continue to connect New Zealand and Southeast Asia, albeit virtually for the time being.

- Siah Hwee Ang, Southeast Asia CAPE Director

How can NZ businesses adapt to COVID-19:

Some lessons from Southeast Asia

The Southeast Asia Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence will be conducting a 2-hour online seminar to share insights about how firms across Southeast Asia have been impacted by the corona virus outbreak and how they are adapting in the face of this global pandemic.

Join Professor Siah Hwee Ang and international business experts Dr Michelle Renton, Dr Antje Fiedler, Dr Fandy Tjiptono, Dr Ben Fath and Dr Thu Phuong Truong on Friday 17 April as they cover:

ASEAN countries' responses to COVID-19
How Southeast Asian businesses are adapting during the pandemic
Useful advice for New Zealand businesses
Q&A session

Tertiary Market Immersion Programme projects

View and download now!

Just over two months ago our group of sixteen New Zealand tertiary students returned home from three weeks immersion in Southeast Asia.

Visiting Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, programme participants worked in groups, guided by academic mentors, to develop a business pitch aimed at New Zealand businesses and entrepreneurs looking to engage with the region.

Since returning to New Zealand, these groups have been busy collating their findings and observations to present their pitches in the form of a business report.

We are delighted to announce that these projects are now available to view and download on our website.

We also plan to launch hard copies at stakeholder events around the country later in the year.

View and download reports

SEA CAPE launches digital badges

Showcase your SEA knowledge!

SEA CAPE is delighted to launch our digital badges for alumni!

If you have previously participated in one of our eligible SEA CAPE programmes we will be awarding you with a digital badge in the coming weeks.

This badge can be used to showcase your Southeast Asia knowledge on your website and social media channels.

Read on to find out more and see which SEA CAPE programmes are eligible.

Now online!

As a result of the current COVID 19 lock down, March saw us take our Market Readiness Programme (MRP) online for the first time.

The more concentrated online version was well received by a wide range of industry professionals who logged in from across the Auckland region.

Keep an eye on our website and social media channels for upcoming MRP online dates across the regions.

Read more below to see how signing up to the MRP workshop can benefit your business

SEA CAPE Spotlight

Catching up with SEA CAPE friends and alumni

Who are you and what do you do?
Kia ora! I'm Jess Reiher and I'm a first-year Bachelor of Commerce (Economics and Management) student at Victoria University of Wellington.

What is your connection with SEA CAPE?
I had the amazing opportunity to participate in the SEA CAPE/Young Enterprise Business Challenge Programme and spent an incredible week in Singapore in January 2019 with nine other young Kiwi entrepreneurs.
I took away so much knowledge about business and entrepreneurship from the trip, and being exposed to the vivid social and cultural dimensions of Singapore was also really exciting.

The skills and confidence that participating in the programme gave me have enabled me to push myself further and become involved in some awesome things from grant-making committees to consulting competitions, to being on the Youth Advisory Group for the Ministry for Pacific Peoples. Just last month I had to develop and pitch an initiative idea to MPP executives, and the skills I gained from being a part of the SEA CAPE Business Challenge were so valuable in doing this.

Tell us about your favourite SEA CAPE memory?
I don't think I could choose from the countless awesome cultural and business learning experiences from that week, from Haji Lane to the Art and Science Museum, to visiting the Facebook offices and hearing from and engaging with insightful business professionals. However, one of my favourite moments on the trip would actually have to be from our 30-hour business challenge. Despite the stress and time-pressure, churning out business plans, ideas and market entry strategies and just having an awesome time with friends I had only met a few days earlier is one of my favourite SEA CAPE memories!
I was so amazed by how quickly friendships, ideas and skills developed on the trip.

If you could drop everything and travel to any Southeast Asian country right now, which one would you choose, and why?
Singapore and it’s exciting business environment will always have a special place in my heart and I can’t wait to go back, but apart from Singapore, I’d love to visit Vietnam for the amazing landscapes, history, energy and food!

Spotlight archive

New to the SEA CAPE mailing list? You can now access our past updates here.