Flying the Fern
Flying the Fern podcast tells the stories of well-known New Zealand businesses delivering products and services that are made, grown or designed in New Zealand. Businesses that are carrying the official New Zealand FernMark, sharing their authenticity at home and abroad, and building New Zealand’s global reputation as a trusted origin of innovative, high-quality products and services. We dig deep into how these New Zealand business pioneers turned their ideas into reality, with determination, creativity, and perseverance. No sugar coating - just the facts. Where they came from, the battles they’ve fought and the scars they’ve collected to get to where they are now. Together, these businesses have become part of the FernMark community, flying the fern and representing New Zealand both locally as well as overseas. A community that embodies and shares our core New Zealand values of potikitanga, manaaki, tiaki and pono as part of our collective New Zealand Story. This is the story of how they did it.
Listen on:
Episodes
Monday Feb 13, 2023
Monday Feb 13, 2023
The Apple Press champions New Zealand’s “ugly fruit” - roughly 10 percent of crops that taste great, but don’t satisfy the criteria for export. The Apple Press has built a global juicing business that heroes individual varieties and adds value to what was very much an under-utilised market.
In this episode of Flying the Fern, host David Downs talks to co-founder Sally Gallagher about:
How the company got started (including an inauspicious first meeting)
The opportunity The Apple Press saw in juicing, and how it capitalised on this
The extra value unlocked by focusing on their New Zealand-ness
Developing a brand to support its product
To find out more, head to https://theapplepress.co.nz/
Find The Apple Press on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theapplepressnz/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theapplepress/
To find out more about the FernMark Licence Programme please visit https://www.fernmark.nzstory.govt.nz/
Monday Feb 06, 2023
Monday Feb 06, 2023
Like many classic New Zealand innovators, Frank Witowski founded his company, Hybrid Bikes, in his garage. He was initially told it wouldn’t be possible, but with an engineering background and some stubborn enthusiasm, he designed a range of carbon fibre e-bikes that are now selling all over the world.
Frank’s bikes are customisable for a range of uses, and have been incredibly popular for their quality, affordability and durability.
In this episode of Flying the Fern, host David Downs talks to Frank about:
How he developed the Hybrid e-bike with no prior cycling experience
How making his bikes affordable created another challenge to overcome
The differences between various overseas markets, and how he approached them
How easy he found it to set up a business in New Zealand
New Zealand’s advantage in being able to connect with other experienced business people
To find out more, head to https://hybridbikes.co.nz/
Find Hybrid Bikes on social media:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hybridbikes.co.nz
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/hybridbikesnz/
To find out more about the FernMark Licence Programme please visit https://www.fernmark.nzstory.govt.nz/
Monday Jan 30, 2023
Monday Jan 30, 2023
Digital healthcare is poised to revolutionise global health in the coming years, and Kiwi company The Clinician is at the heart of the movement.
It’s a forerunner in value-based healthcare, helping to streamline processes and improve access to care all over the world. The Clinician’s platform supports 22 languages, has automated clinical tracking and enables online health assessments that speed up appointment times and admin.
In this episode of Flying the Fern, host David Downs talks to principal founder and CEO Dr Ron Tenenbaum about:
What a digital health company is, how it works and how it’s different to the typical system
Ron Tenenbaum’s journey from being a neurosurgeon to running a digital health company
The challenge of trust and security, and how being from New Zealand gives the company a leg up
What he’s learned about growing into five international markets so far, with more on the way
To find out more, head to https://theclinician.com/
Or check them out on social media:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-clinician/
To find out more about the FernMark Licence Programme please visit https://www.fernmark.nzstory.govt.nz/
Tuesday Jan 24, 2023
Tuesday Jan 24, 2023
Silver Fern Farms plays a hugely influential role in New Zealand food production and distribution. It exports nearly a third of our red meat to 60+ countries, representing around 16,000 farmers in the process.
The company helps to position our meat among the best in the world, by setting the standard in production, sustainability and quality. This is a changing landscape with a range of influences that make it a high stakes, challenging task.
In this episode of Flying the Fern, host David Downs talks to CEO Simon Limmer about:
The significance of carrying the silver fern in the company name
How Silver Fern Farms navigates the changing farming landscape, and how New Zealand is positioned for the future
The impact of the FernMark in proving integrity and authenticity
The social responsibility the company has to produce food for New Zealanders
How New Zealand culture translates into overseas markets, and why that’s important
To find out more, head to https://silverfernfarms.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SilverFernFarms/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/silverfernfarms/
To find out more about the FernMark Licence Programme please visit https://www.fernmark.nzstory.govt.nz/
Monday Jan 16, 2023
Monday Jan 16, 2023
In the 24 hours before recording this podcast, Redshield blocked 5 million cyber attacks. Co-founder Sam Pickles says the global cybercrime industry is bigger than the illegal drug trade, and his kiwi company is an international leader in combating it.
In this episode of Flying the Fern, host David Downs talks to Sam about:
How security challenges have evolved over the last 10 years
How Redshield stays ahead of rapidly changing threats
The significance of trust as a security company, and how being from New Zealand helps
Working with companies that are larger than the entire New Zealand government
Being innovative without even realising it
To find out more, head to https://www.redshield.co/
Find Redshield on social media:
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/redshield-security/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/redshieldsec
To find out more about the FernMark Licence Programme please visit https://www.fernmark.nzstory.govt.nz/
Monday Dec 12, 2022
Monday Dec 12, 2022
Kids Ride Shotgun is the company behind an innovative bike seat that helps the youngest mountain biker to ride alongside their parents. It started as an idea between a couple of biking dads, and has turned into a multi-national movement that’s centred around Kiwi values and raising kids the right way.
In this episode of Flying the Fern, host David Downs talks to co-founder Dan Necklen about:
How the Kids Ride Shotgun seat was so different from the rest
How they stumbled into media coverage, a website and a distribution channel before they even had a product
Going from producing a few hundred seats to tens of thousands in the blink of an eye
Expanding into the US, the UK and beyond
Dealing with counterfeiters and showcasing their authenticity
To find out more, head to https://kidsrideshotgun.co.nz/
See them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KidsRideShotgun/
Or instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kidsrideshotgun/
To find out more about the FernMark Licence Programme please visit https://www.fernmark.nzstory.govt.nz/
Monday Dec 05, 2022
Monday Dec 05, 2022
Auckland Institute of Studies (AIS) leans on New Zealand’s reputation to sell a Kiwi educational experience all over the world. AIS is one of New Zealand’s largest private education providers, with a mostly international student base.
As well as the quality of its education, AIS trades off a true New Zealand experience, with students from more than 40 countries currently on campus.
In this episode of Flying the Fern, host David Downs talks to CEO Richard Smith about:
How AIS competes with bigger universities
How AIS transformed an old hospital into a campus and student hostel
Getting through Covid with very few international students in the country
Selling the New Zealand proposition to young people overseas
To find out more, head to https://www.ais.ac.nz/
To find out more about the FernMark Licence Programme please visit https://www.fernmark.nzstory.govt.nz/
Monday Nov 28, 2022
Monday Nov 28, 2022
New Zealand farm systems are special, and today’s farmers are using FarmIQ to get the absolute best out of their farms. FarmIQ has created farm management and predictive modelling tools to give our farmers more data that they can use to make better decisions with.
Farm IQ is playing a key role in the important storytelling aspect of farming that allows us to showcase New Zealand produce as some of the best in the world.
In this episode of Flying the Fern, host David Downs talks to CEO Will Noble about:
How FarmIQ allows farmers to focus on actually farming
How technology helps to assess the impact of all farming’s variables in farming
How kiwi trailblazers have paved the way for other New Zealand technology companies to succeed
How FarmIQ underpins the success of New Zealand farming processes around the world
To find out more, head to https://farmiq.co.nz/
For social media, check out:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farmiqsystems/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FarmIQSystems
To find out more about the FernMark Licence Programme please visit https://www.fernmark.nzstory.govt.nz/
Monday Nov 21, 2022
Monday Nov 21, 2022
Native Sparkling is New Zealand’s first hard seltzer, which was dubbed ‘Drink of the Summer’ by the New York Times in 2019.
The product range is all low sugar, low carb and low calories. But it’s about way more than just the drinks. Native Sparkling have a genuine focus on conversation, including bird programmes and even environmental initiatives in their overseas markets.
In this episode of Flying the Fern, host David Downs talks to co-founder Guy Hobson about:
Company origins, making a drink they called ‘Moose Juice’ at university
Being a family business, with two brothers and a sister
Introducing a whole new product to the established alcohol industry
How Native Hard Sparkling got their first sale in New Zealand, and how different it was when they went to Japan
How they’ve weaved in their conservation initiatives, and the impact it’s had
To find out more, head to https://nativesparkling.nz/
Check out their social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nativehardsparkling/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nativesparkling/
To find out more about the FernMark Licence Programme please visit https://www.fernmark.nzstory.govt.nz/
Monday Nov 14, 2022
Monday Nov 14, 2022
Book Me Bob is a revolutionary AI chatbot that’s changing the game in the hospitality world. The chatbot is available in a range of languages, can host thousands of conversations at the same time, and is so realistic that it’s often confused as being a real human.
The company was founded just before Covid, and has flourished despite the impact of the pandemic on tourism and hospitality. In fact, founder David Thompson is targeting unicorn status ($1 billion valuation) quicker than any other New Zealand company.
In this episode of Flying the Fern, host David Downs talks to David about:
Why Book Me Bob’s technology is so world leading
Starting with a bang - going to Bali hoping to get one contract, and ending up with 30
Developing a bot with genuine personality
Why New Zealanders are so well liked around the world
Finding new ways to apply Book Me Bob’s technology
To find out more, head to https://www.bookmebob.com/
For social media, check out:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookmebob/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bookmebob/
To find out more about the FernMark Licence Programme please visit https://www.fernmark.nzstory.govt.nz/
Your Title
This is the description area. You can write an introduction or add anything you want to tell your audience. This can help potential listeners better understand and become interested in your podcast. Think about what will motivate them to hit the play button. What is your podcast about? What makes it unique? This is your chance to introduce your podcast and grab their attention.