It seems to be happening every other week these days…an unexpected ‘event’ that changes the quality of life short or longterm for average New Zealand businesspeople. Talk to any farmer affected by massive fl ooding, retailer cut off from everything after an earthquake, producer plagued by tainted overseas ingredients or food manufacturer decimated by stock shortages, and you’ll get a sense that 8 MARCH 2016 we Kiwis are somewhat ill-prepared for those rare or ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ events. But, with changing global weather patterns making their presence felt, disasters like those will impact more and more. Just how prepared New Zealand – and particularly its businesses – are to cope with extraordinary ‘freaks of nature’ that test critical national infrastructure on an ongoing basis will become evident as superstorms become more frequent, winds blow stronger, snow falls thicker, earthquakes move the land beneath our feet, terrorists attack our lives and livelihoods, and rainfall and droughts break records over and over again. You may never have heard of them, but ‘black swan’ events are those that come as a surprise, have a major effect on the functionality of life and business, and are often inap- C O V E R S T O R Y ARE YOU READY FOR THE BLACK SWAN? By Dr Bridgette Sullivan-Taylor
FT-mar16-Vol51-2
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