What Three Rooms in New Zealand and Australia's Biggest Grocery Conference Told Me About Boards, Boldness and the Competitive Growth We Are Leaving Behind I heard something at E Tipu in Christchurch last week that I have not been able to put down. A senior leader from one of the most significant food companies in the Southern Hemisphere made this observation about the boardroom: the board that only governs what it can measure will always underinvest in what it cannot see yet. I have sat...

Australia's innovation system has a structural problem that more research funding alone will not fix. The Ambitious Australia SERD report, delivered in December 2025 calls out fragmented investment, declining R&D intensity, and a persistent gap between what research institutions produce and what manufacturers can use. The report proposes a path forward through six National Innovation Pillars, place-based investment infrastructure, and a new council architecture designed to connect research,...

Australia is an agrifood powerhouse. We produce enough to feed approximately three times our own population. Our agricultural, fisheries and forestry sector produces $100.3 billion in value annually, with exports reaching $75.8 billion, making us one of the most significant food producing and exporting nations on the planet. Our food manufacturing sector, often underestimated in national conversation, turns over $173 billion in 2023–2024, employs 294,212 people, and represents 32.6% of all...