US franchise publication
highlights New Zealand

New Zealanders aren’t afraid to say ‘no’ during negotiations. Their style is closer to the British reserve than their neighbors in Australia. And don’t use the ‘V is for victory’ sign when you succeed, as it’s considered rude.

Those are some of the key tips for Americans dealing with New Zealanders according to an article in the latest issue of Franchise Times, the major franchise magazine in the US. The article, headed ‘Pragmatism rules in New Zealand, and laws trump emotions’, draws together facts from sources as diverse as the CIA, Wikipedia and the book Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands.

It’s one of two articles on New Zealand published in Franchise Times this month, with the other – by editor Nancy Weingartner – quoting FANZ executive director Graham Billings, who told delegates at a recent meeting in Las Vegas that New Zealand has a ‘rock-star economy’ and established our claim to having perfected (if not invented) the flat white coffee. There’s also a contribution from (Australian) Franchise Relationships Institute founder Greg Nathan, who wrote, ‘Despite its small size, I have found the New Zealand franchise sector to be run by sophisticated, intelligent business people, who are perhaps sharper than the average Aussie.'

This second article also notes that US-based Edwards Global Services, which specialises in the export and import of franchise brands, identifies New Zealand as one of its top ten countries with potential for franchising. The others are Canada, the US, Panama, Chile, Poland, Egypt, India, Indonesia and Japan.

A more detailed introduction to franchising in New Zealand including links to other sources can be found here.