Networking, Technology, and Governance: Lessons from New Zealand Horticulture

Abstract

Cooperative business networking and technological learning have been treated as discrete features of successful regional economies. It is argued that both may be understood as governance solutions within the respective global commodity chains. Empirical evidence is examined of five export-oriented horticultural industries in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. Within these industries a number of instances of networking and technological learning are identified and are found to be operating in a variety of regulatory contexts. Evidence from field interviews and three case studies, in particular, reveals the governance relations in effect in these commodity chains and how these lead to solutions such as networking and technological learning. These examples are also employed to support a more refined understanding both of governance and of regulation.

Niche Markets and Regional Speciality Food Products in Europe: Towards a Research Agenda

“…At the same time, the building of such networks or partnerships may depend in part on the existence of longer traditions of cooperation and collaboration within regions or locales (Marsden, 1998). In other instances, it may depend upon territorially based production systems which exhibit continual learning of new processes and the development of new products, as described by Perry et al (1997) in the case of horticulture in one region in New Zealand (see also Hayward et al, 1998). Furthermore, it is unlikely that networks will be limited to purely regional or subregional spatial scales, but rather will stretch across a multiplicity of geographical scales.…”

Multiple Proximities: Culture and Geography in the Transport Logistics of Newsprint Manufactured in Australia

“…It can be more important, for instance, that an (8) The distinction between formal and implicit is taken from Durkheim's (1964) conceptualisation of a contract. (9) On commodity chains see Gereffi and Korzeniewicz (1994); on value chains see Porter (1990); see Dicken and Thrift (1992) and Hayward et al (1998) for discussion of production chains and the related concept filie© re; and see Raikes et al (2000) for a comparison and critique of global commodity chain analysis and the French filie© re approach. In all these instances, any link is always``more than a link, for compromises, new projects, and other new arrangements are also brought into being'' (Callon and Law, 1989, page 59), as was very much the case regarding Blue.…”

Innovation and Interdependencies in the New Zealand Custom Boat‐building Industry

“…More recently, the spread of innovations has formed a focus of inquiry in respect to regional industrial systems. Specifically, the process of learning in an industrial community is seen to be a determining factor in the variable uptake of innovations (Storper, 1992;Garnsey, 1998;Hayward et al, 1998).…”

“…Thus, competition within the milieu differs from that with firms elsewhere: it is a competition laced with communication and information exchange -trust and reciprocity. While it can be argued that contemporary definitions of networking have never explicitly disregarded non-pecuniary transactions (Hayward et al, 1998), the milieu concept explains a spatial framework in which networking occurs with diminished transaction costs, either because of spatial proximity between the agents or because of a shared understanding of business norms and conventions, or both. In short, a common understanding of language, social and cultural conventions and professional standards facilitates the ready exchange and adoption of ideas throughout the milieu, and creates the potential for enhanced profits through innovation (Hansen, 1992;Storper, 1993;Grotz and Braun, 1997).…”