Kiwi businesspeople in Asia

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In this article, we offer you three diverse life stories. See also our recent article on Hong Kong-based Mark Wilson.

- Neil Smith wanted to overcome the inconvenience of dirt-covered sports fields in Japan and found himself catering for a huge demand for grass turf;

- Andrew Grant occupies an influential place as managing director of McKinsey and Co in Shanghai, and

- Mike Harris, who first went on a language study trip to Japan, now manages a popular year-round outdoor adventure centre with 50 staff.

Neil Smith

profile by Kristen Somerville

It's a grey, wintery day in Tottori, Japan when I interview Kiwi expat Neil Smith.  We're sitting on a bench overlooking the sports ground Smith developed on the shores of Koyama Pond, Tottori - a small, sparsely populated prefecture on the Japan Sea coast.  Besides the ride-on mower and the rugby goal posts, there is something else here that’s unusual for Japan - the grass field itself.

In Japan grass is seen as expensive and high maintenance, which is why most sports grounds are dirt- or sand-covered. Smith says the general view is that "you have to have dirt… kids get injured (and) it's just an unavoidable consequence."

Masashige Katsumata, CEO of Toko Sango, which specialises in turf maintenance machinery, explains the Japanese attitude.  “The quality must be the same as the grass of national sports stadium or golf courses... For instance, some (primary) schools request to… upgrade the quality of their grass ground to the level of the golf course green.”  The other problem is that most Japanese sports teams train daily, placing a heavy toll on any grass surface.

To Smith, the idea of tackling another player on a dirt field didn’t appeal.  Five years ago, when he set out to establish a rugby club, he couldn’t find a suitable playing field, so he developed his own.  The result was Greenfields, which provides a home base for a rugby, soccer and hockey club.  However, he didn’t anticipate the amount of interest it would generate.

Thanks to some recent high-profile television coverage, enquiries to Greenfields now number in the thousands; however, Smith is not looking to expand.  Instead he's hoping that demand will ease as people realise that grass care doesn’t have to be difficult.  He laments: "I haven't played golf for six years since I started this.”  Instead, he says he spends a lot of time giving tours of Greenfields and travelling to give speeches.  “I don't want to be doing that - it was the last thing that was in my mind when I came to Tottori."  Eleven years ago the rural lifestyle drew him here from Tokyo after 15 years in the fast-paced securities industry.

He is hopeful that once people realise the benefits of grass, he will be able to leave them to it and get back to the golfing green.

Andrew Grant

profile by Mark Peart

There is no shortage of business opportunities for New Zealand companies in China with the right mindset to tackle the market and succeed.

The Chinese leadership is still upbeat about the world’s second-largest economy’s prospects even though observers and commentators like the World Bank are taking a more conservative position.

When he announced details of China’s latest response to the global economic crisis in early March, Premier Wen Jiabao promised to deliver 8 percent economic growth and record government spending this year, even though he failed to deliver the new stimulus package many investors had been expecting.
China-watchers like the World Bank, which is forecasting the country’s growth will slip to 6.5 percent this year, are not as upbeat as Mr Wen.

But there is no doubt that no matter what the ultimate growth percentage figure might be, China is the economic power that many will expect to spark and lead an eventual recovery in the world economy.
The smart money says it will do so ahead of the pre-eminent global economic superpower, the United States.

Andrew Grant, a New Zealander who runs consulting firm McKinsey and Co’s Greater China operation, says there is no doubt that many policy-makers worldwide look to China for inspiration.

“It’s certainly a scale of economy that can influence the world,” Mr Grant says.“Both China and the rest of the world are in the same place about where they’d like China to be.”

Mr Grant said there was a question mark around when the benefits of Chinese stimulus packages would flow through to the economy.
“The big challenge is timing; the rest of the world would like to see it happen in the next year or two, but China is saying, Give us five to 10 years.”
Mr Grant says China is expected to see strong GDP growth and continued urbanisation during the next 20 years.

Over the next 20 years, Chinese cities will add more than 350 million people – the equivalent of the entire population of the United States, and there will be more than 200 cities with more than a million inhabitants.
There will be 50,000 new skyscrapers – the equivalent of building 10 Manhattans, and there could be up to 170 mass transit systems (there are around 70 in Europe today).

By 2025, two-thirds of Chinese citizens will live in cities, creating a new “urban billion.”

The potential for New Zealand SMEs in China lies in their ability to fill significant existing gaps in “soft skills” - such as marketing, people development, communication, and conflict resolution.

The new free trade agreement signed by China and New Zealand in Beijing last year provides opportunities for New Zealand companies which they should be looking to capture and exploit, Mr Grant says.

In energy, coal could be replaced by hydro and renewable schemes; in agriculture there is scope for restoring and expanding forests and grasslands; and in business, senior executives with global experience would be sought after as local companies went global.

Mike Harris

profile by Stephen Skelton

Dunedin-born Mike Harris (35) first went to Japan in 1992 to pump gas and brush up his university Japanese studies.  He is now Chief Executive of Canyons Outdoor Adventure Experiences, providing work for adventurous outdoors-types from all over the world.

Mike’s own experiences in Japan back up this patient approach to relationship building. After graduating with a degree in Accounting, IT and Japanese, Mike spent a few months skiing and working at Happo Lodge in Hakuba.  A short stint in Tokyo’s notorious Roppongi district quickly bored him, and he followed a tip he’d got from a fellow New Zealander about a small town in Gunma Prefecture where he saw his first business opportunity.

Minakami is an onsen (spa) town with four seasons of activities – brilliant skiing and snowboarding choices in the winter; grade 3-4 whitewater rafting in spring; hiking, canyoning, rock climbing, mountain biking, paragliding and swimming in the heat of the summer; and kayaking under the gorgeous autumn leaves.

Mike progressed from several seasons as a rafting guide in Minakami and in other countries, to managing the company for the Japanese owners.  Then he branched out to bring the first commercial canyoning to Japan, offering great jobs for fellow adventurers, including about 10 Kiwis and a bunch of Aussies. Canyons Outdoor now has four branches around Japan, offers canyoning, caving, mountain biking, skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and rafting, and employs more than 50 staff.

“When Kiwis think of Japan, we think of Tokyo and the urban landscape, but there’s incredible outdoors here, too.” It was great potential for business. “Many Japanese don’t know how to make use of nature to have fun. So for me, introducing the Japanese to their own outdoor playground has been great,” Mike says. And it’s been great for his business.

Mike has worked as a professional rafting and canyoning guide throughout the world. He is considered one of the pioneers of rafting and canyoning in Japan, and is a co-founder of the CAJ (Canyoning Association of Japan). 

“Even after all these years I am still able to find unexplored caves, virgin sections of rivers and canyons or untouched back-country ski runs.  It’s this opportunity to pioneer new adventures and areas that keeps Japan so interesting for me.”

When he’s not blazing through canyons or down powder trails, Mike is a keen DJ and has run dozens of gigs, including regular local events and the after party for the 2000 rafting world cup qualifiers in Minakami. He often helps Kiwi musicians with gigs in Japan – Rhombus’ Japan tour included two sellout gigs organised by Mike in Minakami. 

Mike’s been on Japanese television more than 15 times and has been featured in more than 30 magazines. 

“It’s good for business,” he shrugs.

“I miss the family, friends, chocolate fish and … but there are some great business opportunities here in Japan and I have to say, I’m lovin’ it!”

Mike offers some simple advice to New Zealand businesses trying to make some headway in Japan.

1)    Get introduced - The old saying "It's not what you know it's who you know"
could not be more truthful for Japan.  An introduction to a business from a
good friend or relative of the business goes a long way.
2)    Learn Japanese etiquette and some simple language - The Japanese are very polite. A few simple greetings go a long way.
3)    Build relationships -  The Japanese like to build a relationship of trust
over time. It is important to use various formal and non-formal meetings to
build such relationships.
4)    Be patient - Decisions can sometimes take a long time to be reached because of collective decision-making. Patience is a virtue.

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