Regional NZ, Take a Bow – You Got This

Ben Kershaw

New Zealand prides itself on innovation borne of necessity—think No.8 wire. Having resources doesn’t make you resourceful. Resourcefulness comes from a lack of resources. A lack of resources forces you to make do, then adapt what you have, then invent a better solution. And it doesn’t have to be a physical invention. Shortcuts, hacks, and workarounds are just as innovative—they’re the driving force behind progress. (Systemization and process harness the power of the original shortcut and should never be mistaken for something superior.)

As a small, young, and isolated country, NZ has been a powerhouse of novel ideas and world-changing inventions. Remote, regional New Zealand? Even more so.

For a long time, the assumption was that big cities were the epicentre of modern innovation—that clustering minds, technology, and resources would naturally generate the best ideas. If you’re interested, there’s even a name for it: agglomeration. While there are global examples where this holds true (Seoul, South Korea, for instance), recent studies suggest that the origins of patents, new technologies, and groundbreaking ideas are widely dispersed. Regions are, proportionately, just as likely to produce innovation as major cities.

Now, don’t get me wrong—Auckland and other big cities produce incredible companies, ideas, and perspectives every day. What I’m challenging here is the notion that bigger is necessarily better, that the grass is greener, and that the best resources are only found where resources are plentiful.

In my work, I’m fortunate to partner with some of the most innovative companies across New Zealand. I get to tour their world-class facilities, meet their talented engineers and R&D teams, and witness their audacity and spirit as they take on the world. Many of these businesses are privately owned, family-run companies that started with someone tinkering in a shed.

I love this idea of tinkering in a shed. I come from a long line of shed tinkerers. I’m a born solutionist, problem solver, and shortcut finder. I also don’t mind taking risks, speaking up, and challenging the status quo. My career in recruitment has taken me across NZ and around the world. I’ve worked in large firms in major cities, and I treasure the experience and learning I gained there.

What I saw in those firms was their resources—pooled knowledge, great systems, big teams, strong brands, and powerful marketing. Impressive businesses? Absolutely. But also completely devoid of imagination and creativity. A shiny version of the same old recruitment model from the 1950s—an innovation-free zone. Its not that they are incapable of innovation, they just don’t need to innovate – its not their model.

These firms are dominant and unbeatable in their home markets, their comfort zones. But recruiting a leadership or specialist role in Whanganui, Paengaroa, or Invercargill? Post an ad, promote it on social media… okay, then what?

At Moxie, we’ve known for 20 years that the traditional recruitment model just can’t compete in terms of effectiveness and retention compared to specialised search, particularly for regional hires. Without the resources of larger firms, it’s taken us a while to spread the message. But because of that, we’ve built the most effective model and methods to support regional New Zealand companies—finding them the best candidates locally, nationally, and globally.

There is great talent in the regions as well as in the big cities. The only way to access it is through search, backed by a deep understanding of regional New Zealand.

So, regional NZ—stand up and own your resourcefulness and innovation. We don’t need to envy anyone else’s resources. We just need to keep leading, keep pursuing great ideas, keep challenging, and never compromise.

Moxie: we are from regional NZ, we are based in regional NZ and we are for regional NZ.