Address threats but seize opportunities
In latest news, the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) describes a challenging national security landscape. New Zealand faces active risks from foreign state espionage, coercion of diaspora groups, insider threats, and polarized homegrown violent extremism.
From a workplace perspective, the main threat to address is foreign states and their proxies actively targeting New Zealand’s public and private sectors. Foreign agents are constantly trying to steal sensitive data, policy insights, and research for economic advantage. Targets include the growing space and technology sectors but there is information in many sectors that is more valuable than one might think.
Our dependence on imported oil and gas for our energy needs is very obvious right now. New Zealand also has precious metals and minerals. We export, gold, silver, ironsands and coal in large quantities and we have large reserves of other key minerals. We also have a list of 37 minerals critical to our economy.
New Zealanders don’t always consider that economic security goes well beyond oil and minerals. Many countries face major issues with food security, access to potable water and threats to towns and cities from climate change. Things we take for granted can be of huge strategic value to foreign countries, and could be of far greater value to us if we leveraged them more. We can seize those opportunities.
As a country, we generate most of our income from exporting half a dozen commodity groups to three countries: China, USA and Australia. One reason we can do that is our competitive advantage in food production. Emerging technologies and practices and theft of intellectual property will erode that advantage. We need to protect our intellectual property but we also need more eggs in more baskets to increase our economic security.
As other countries look to foul means to erode our competitive advantages, there are plenty of opportunities for us to use fair means to enhance those advantages and to seek out new ones. Many years ago, I developed training material to help NZ trade commissioners to gather competitive intelligence, legally but creatively. I am also a regular judge in the International Best Practice Competition which gives me a chance to review great initiatives across the world and to quiz organisations about their achievements and their journeys. That competition is in its 12th year and it is organised by Dr Robin Mann who is based in New Zealand. I am also a Global Benchmarking Ambassador and a member of the Global Benchmarking Network, which means I meet regularly with other ambassadors who collectively have a huge amount of data and insights on what makes firms and countries globally competitive.
The SIS are right to be concerned about spies trying to steal our secrets. That is a valid threat. We should also be concerned about the lost opportunity from all the legally available information that we ignore. There is ample best practice information out there that would make us more competitive, raise productivity and help us diversify our vulnerable economy. Respect the threat but take the opportunity too.
Opportunities abound if you know where to look. Successful strategy differentiates you from competitors and the best way to differentiate is to offer something better than everyone else. You can’t do that if you don’t know what “best” looks like. Strategy implementation is what we do at Hague Consulting. Please get in touch for a chat. Enquiries@hague.co.nz
Phil Guerin, Consultant/Director, Hague Consulting Ltd. © Hague Consulting Ltd 2026. If you like this content, subscribe to our blog – it’s free!
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