The signing ceremony was witnessed by Ambassador of New Zealand in Vietnam, H.E. Wendy Matthews, and leaders of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee.

Creative HQ will share models and best practices to support the development of Ho Chi Minh City’s startup and innovation ecosystem.

The two sides will work closely to develop the city’s policy framework to encourage public-private partnerships in startups and innovation.

Ho Chi Minh City officials and startup and innovation stakeholders will receive capacity building training on new innovation methods, service design, and improving government services and processes.

Ambassador Wendy Matthews confirmed the growing cooperation between New Zealand and Vietnam in the field of startups and innovation.

“New Zealanders have a long tradition of mixing creative innovation with practical solutions,” she said. “I am pleased that innovation and high-tech products and services are also now playing a constructive role in deepening the New Zealand - Vietnam bilateral relationship.”

An entrepreneurial spirit has been part of New Zealand’s national identity for decades. Its economy is made up of small-scale entrepreneurs and 97 per cent of New Zealand businesses employ fewer than 19 people.

Out of 190 countries and territories, the World Bank named New Zealand as the best in which to start a business.

New Zealand will work closely with Ho Chi Minh City to nurture its startup community and to create a sustainable business model for entrepreneurship and high-tech companies that includes bringing together the best elements from government, corporates, academics, and startups.

In April, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong led a high-level delegation on a working visit to New Zealand and Creative HQ to hear of outcomes from Ho Chi Minh City government officials who attended training courses in Wellington on developing and fostering innovative startups.

The cooperation between Creative HQ and the DoST has been facilitated by The New Zealand Government-Government Partnerships Office (New Zealand G2G), a joint venture between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise with a mandate of providing a way for overseas governments to access proven New Zealand know-how on a commercial basis as they go about growing their own capabilities.

The G2G team connects Vietnam with key government agencies as well as scientific, research, and education institutes and private sector participants. They can access the best expertise, both public and private.

Creative HQ is New Zealand’s leading innovation coaching provider. It builds entrepreneurial capability within teams, teaching customers how to tackle complex problems using human-centered design and the latest innovation frameworks and methodologies.

It has been working as innovation practitioners since 2003 and has helped over 300 startups and over 1,000 entrepreneurs.

It has also delivered a broad spectrum of innovation services to large corporations and New Zealand government agencies such as the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Stats NZ, Inland Revenue, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Social Development, and the Department of Internal Affairs.

It has also delivered services in overseas jurisdictions including Australia, Singapore, the Philippines, Japan, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. VN Economic Times

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