Creating value for NZ Inc through cleantech
Air New Zealand chief executive Rob Fyfe says he is incredibly frustrated by zealots on either side of the global warming debate.
Tuesday, June 08 2010 || Comment || BY Unlimited staff
I do get incredibly frustrated by the zealots on either side of the debate on global warming. Those who are talking up ‘the world is going to end’ because of global warming do as much harm to the cause as those that deny that pollution is having any impact on the planet at all. Actually it’s the extremists that I believe who are doing the greatest harm to the future of the planet, as well as destroying the opportunity that exists to embrace the increasing concern about these issues and the business potential that emerges.
I said to our staff early on, this isn’t a debate about whether you buy into global warming or not. If you look at our business, it’s about selling New Zealand. The vast majority of people we carry on our services, particularly international services, are people coming to this country and so we’re selling New Zealand. Why do people want to come to New Zealand? It’s a beautiful place, they believe it’s under populated with amazing scenery, adventure tourism, lovely people, and so on. You can’t sell that if alongside that people believe you have polluted waterways and rubbish in the streets, or graffiti on buildings. All of that compromises the imagery we are trying to present to the world.
Personally I’m a believer that global warming is an issue but even if I wasn’t, that ain’t the point. The point is that what attracts and interests people in New Zealand - both the brand and the people - is a sense that we live in a unique and special part of the world. I believe we can leverage those values, that perception, far more widely than just tourism product.
At Air New Zealand we burn a reasonable size swimming pool of fuel every 20 minutes. That’s 50,000 litres every 20 minutes, 24 hours a day. So we acknowledge we are a polluter. Whether you buy into carbon footprints or global warming, we are a polluter and if we are going to bring people to one of the most picturesque parts of the world, we need to demonstrate to them that we are doing everything to lessen the impact and footprint we leave on the planet.
So issue number one, we should always be looking to reduce our pollution. That’s about recycling materials we use on the aircraft and throughout our business, about limiting the amount of pollution we create and importantly about limiting our consumption of scarce resources.
The other big issue is that we are consuming the Earth’s resources at a frightening pace and anything we are doing to more efficiently use the world’s resources and slow down our rate of consumption to ensure we are preserving those resources for future generations is surely a worthy endeavour for anyone who believes in the future of our society and wants to hand the world on to their children as a better place. Put aside all the rhetoric about global warming and carbon footprint and so on. There is a basic set of values here that says we should care about this stuff.
If someone feel like a customer now on Air New Zealand, it is a great improvement. In the past you felt like and object with one purpose of existing, pay. Maybe the same should be applied in overseas export markets. Maybe New Zealand should stop feeding useless bureaucrats in NZTE, embassies and consulates, and make use of the 40% of top skilled expats kiwis that already have left the country because they could not stand the inapt beancouter culture. Now we hear that only 20$ of the skilled immigrants stay. The use New Zealand as a stepping stone to something better. There are two possible reasons for the New Zealand failure. Stupidity or ignorance. Ignorance is curable, stupidity is not. harriss.rick@gmail.com
Posted by Rick Hariss at 12:45 on June 10, 2010
I'd like to see Air NZ expressly state their value proposition in an equation that includes the airline fare in $$. eg. Business travellers your value = xx + xy. Am sure it will be interesting compiling one for the non-business travellers :-)
Posted by KeaSqueak at 11:46 on June 9, 2010
As a businessperson who up until recently was flying 4-5 long haul flights a year, I will always fly Air NZ for business or pleasure after the enormous strides they have made in the past 3 or 4 years. Every time I step onto one of their planes I am made to feel like a customer, and that is a fantastic feeling when done well. Compare that to flying domestically in the US, and there is night and day between the experiences.
So a notional equation about the value proposition is pointless for me, and proves to me that price is not the only proposition an airline can compete on.
Posted by DW at 02:15 on June 9, 2010
Whilst Rob's has a valid point about extremists there needs to be consideration to the thought that without them we don't achieve middle ground. Just mull that concept!
Posted by Beach cleaner at 04:20 on June 24, 2010
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