Kiwis seem to be debating the big issues more than ever before. Whether it’s house prices, the state of the economy, or the performance of our political leaders...
Episode 38: Executive Director of the New Zealand Initiative, Dr Oliver Hartwich
In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 38, our guest is the Executive Director of the New Zealand Initiative, Dr Oliver Hartwich. Oliver Hartwich was born in West Germany and talks of growing up in the 1980’s in a country shaped by the two World Wars that had until that point defined it. As Europe reshapes its defence strategies in response to the Ukraine crisis, his surprisingly frank conversation about his youth offers a stark reminder of the long-term impacts of war. But it is as an economist, specialising in thinking about government strategy, that he has made his career. That career has seen him working in the House of Lords and in think tanks in the UK, Australia, and ultimately, for the last twelve years, in his adopted home in New Zealand. During the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast Dr Hartwich speaks to Bruce Cotterill about the state of New Zealand, a country which he says has so much going in its favour, and yet continuously fails to live up to its potential. Using the extensive research base of the NZ Initiative as his base, he discusses the state of our housing market and explains in a simple and no-nonsense manner the reasons why such a small country at the end of the world has some of the world’s highest house process. And while on the local themes, his insights regarding our education system, excessive centralisation, infrastructure and the opportunity for direct foreign investment are as refreshing as they are direct. Dr Hartwich has made quite a name for himself as an international columnist, and his comments about the current state of the USA, Europe and the UK are so insightful that they should be regarded as compulsory listening for the millions who are relatively uninformed on matters of international geopolitics.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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1:20:26
Episode 37: Auckland University Emeritus Professor of Health Des Gorman
In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 37, our guest is Emeritus Professor of Health at Auckland University Medical School, Des Gorman. An Otahuhu schoolboy who applied to enrol at Auckland Medical School, because his friend was applying, turned that accidental decision into one of the most distinguished medical careers in New Zealand. That medical career nearly went off the rails when his disillusionment resulted in a change of career and a change of life, leading to seven years in the Australian navy. He credits those years in the military with the development of leadership and people skills, valuable capabilities that many in the medical sector don’t develop, and that he says added greatly to his career when he later returned to medicine. Ultimately Professor Des Gorman became the Head of the Auckland University Medical School and he was enlisted to multiple government appointments where he has been an instrumental member of the various teams working to improve our health system, including ten years as the Executive Chair of the Health Workforce Review and 6 years as a Director of ACC. But it is his desire to challenge the things that don’t make sense that is a feature of his medical research into brain injuries and which overlaps into his critique of the health service that New Zealanders rely on. He came to greater prominence as one of the few outspoken commentators concerned about the manner in which we were managing the Covid 19 pandemic. During the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast Professor Gorman speaks to Bruce Cotterill at length about our Covid response, the cruel constraints on our way of life and how they could have, and should have been avoided. And he discusses the current state of the health system, the issues around Maori health, and his view on Robert F Kennedy’s appointment as Health Secretary in the USA. And what would Professor Des Gorman do if he was Prime Minister for a day? His answer will make you wish he was appointed for a full term.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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1:16:44
Episode 36: TVNZ CEO Jodi O’Donnell
In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 36, our guest is TVNZ CEO, Jodi O’Donnell. She took over as the CEO of TVNZ just a few months before having to front the announcement of the company’s disastrous financial result, a process that ultimately led to a restructuring programme that included the loss of loved TV shows such as Fair Go and Sunday. Despite her baptism of fire, Jodi O’Donnell is remarkably open about discussing those early days in the job she has now occupied for a little over a year. And she seems comfortable in taking on the challenge ahead. And so she should be. O’Donnell has been at the flagship state owned television company for almost her entire career, twenty five years in total. Refreshingly, she comes from the sales and marketing side of the TV business, a commercial upbringing that sees her unapologetically focussed on the customers, both advertisers and viewers. During the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast Jodi covers topics such as the government ownership model, the importance of winning trust from viewers and the recent merger talks with Radio New Zealand. And she talks about the challenges to the 6pm news hour, the dearth of international news coverage, and the challenge of getting the balance right. And she is remarkably frank about her early days in the role and those decisions to cut top ten programmes in order to ensure that the business was set up as a media business fit for the rapidly changing future. Jodi O’Donnell is the leader of a business that is, perhaps, the most influential in the land, and one which is critical to the effective functioning of our democracy. Her story will leave you certain that she is up to the task.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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1:08:45
Episode 35: Olympic Gold Medallist Hamish Kerr
In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 35, our guest is Olympic High Jump champion, Hamish Kerr. He describes himself as too tall for a runner. So it was just as well that a young Hamish Kerr scuttled down to the High Jump enclosure after his 800 metre race ended. There he found a natural ability and reduced competition; a combination that saw him develop a passion for this highly technical event at a remarkably young age. Hamish Kerr’s is the classic Kiwi story. After winning the NZ Secondary Schools title for Auckland Grammar School, he headed off to Massey University and forgot about athletics for a couple of years. But the passion still burned, and an opportunity to attend the World University Games rekindled a love affair with the sport through which he would become a world an Olympic champion. With his degree completed, he moved to Christchurch to follow the coaching and worked part time in a hardware store while he worked on the physical and mental techniques that would make him successful. On the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast, Bruce Cotterill talks to Hamish about his gradual journey to the top of the Olympic podium, a journey that now includes Commonwealth Games and World Indoor titles alongside his Olympic triumph. And he takes us step by step through that agonising Olympic qualifying session which saw him almost leave the competition prematurely, and a finals day filled with the drama that can only be delivered by an energy sapping one on one jump off for the gold medal. And he’s not finished yet. Hamish Kerr has an aspirational message for our future leaders and an agenda that will see him attempt to defend his title in Los Angeles in 2028.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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1:12:01
Episode 34: Chris Quin
In Leaders Getting Coffee episode 34, our guest is Foodstuffs CEO, Chris Quin. The supermarket industry is never far from the headlines. Whether we’re talking about grocery prices, retail crime or allegations of monopoly pricing, the supermarket is front and centre. But they are also massive businesses playing a critical role in our daily lives and our communities. Chris Quin is the CEO of Foodstuffs North Island, the largest grocery business in New Zealand. His leadership experiences have seen him through an outstanding career that includes over two decades at Telecom/Spark, before joining the grocery giant. He grew up in a family that moved around a lot but ultimately settled in Wellington where he attended St Pat’s Silverstream College near Wellington, where he became Head Boy. An accounting degree from Victoria University followed, while working part time at a supermarket (what else?) to pay his way through his studies. During the Leaders Getting Coffee podcast Chris Quin speaks passionately about the twenty-four years he spent at Telecom and Spark, his passion for technology and his two failed attempts at winning the top job there. But it was the challenges of the grocery world that ultimately saw him sit in the CEO’s office, and from where he has made his mark for the last decade. We talk in detail about the drive to keep groceries affordable and the efforts to merge Foodstuffs’ North and South Island businesses in order to continue the search for maximum productivity. Quin is forthright in his views of the importance of the merger and his reaction to the Commerce Commission ruling that it should not proceed. We also discuss the alarming boost in retail crime over recent years, and how facial recognition technology is one of many technology-based tools helping to win that fight. Chris Quin is the leader of one of our biggest businesses, and one with which we all interact more than any other. In sharing his experiences there are plenty of lessons for aspiring and established leaders alike.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Kiwis seem to be debating the big issues more than ever before. Whether it’s house prices, the state of the economy, or the performance of our political leaders, most of us aren’t lacking for an opinion.
One of the things we don’t talk about that much is the need for good leadership. And it’s not just the politicians that need to take note. Whether you are running a sports team, a small business, a big business, or even a school, good leadership will see goals achieved and better outcomes generated.
Join company director and business adviser Bruce Cotterill as he talks to leaders about leadership.
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