Small country, global impact: Exploring New Zealand’s trade and innovation
What does global business look like in one of the world’s most remote countries? A part-time MBA student got a front row seat, experiencing the country’s unique blend of sustainability, trade and cultural connection.
As someone who graduated from undergrad during the peak of the pandemic in 2020, studying abroad was an immersive learning experience I missed out on. When I started researching MBA programs, I realized the part-time route would be a better fit for me, and little did I know that Kellogg — the B-school I was most interested in — offered global experiences as part of their Evening & Weekend MBA Program.
The Global Initiatives in Management (GIM) is an elective offering MBA students opportunities to immerse themselves in a range of business topics across various regions. GIM occurs every winter, and about 250 MBAs across all degree programs travel to a designated country for 10 days.
I’ve been fortunate enough to experience GIM twice. The first time was last year when I traveled to Peru and Chile as part of the programming for Social Impact and Sustainability. As I was inching toward graduation, I knew I wanted to immerse myself in another experiential learning experience before my time at Kellogg came to a close. This year, I took the GIM elective of Building International Intelligent Products and traveled to New Zealand with Professor Birju Shah leading the group.
The legwork — getting New Zealand ready
Each student approaches their GIM elective differently. Some base their decision on location, while others focus on pursuing a specific business sector — the approaches vary depending on the student’s desired outcome. For me, my preferences started with the professor’s background, the course content, followed by the destination.
The GIM elective I chose challenged me intellectually and also pushed me out of my comfort zone, exposing me to a part of the world I had never traveled to. A major added benefit I did not anticipate was the opportunity to connect with the 40 people I traveled with, whom I now consider some of my closest friends.
GIM is executed thoughtfully and intentionally. In the months leading up to the trip, we had two all-day weekend classes in Evanston. Participating students came together to learn the foundation of the course programming, ranging from ethnography and the inner workings of building intelligent products from a user experience standpoint. The weekend sessions provided us with a foundation for understanding the value of generative AI, which would serve as the basis for our immersive learning and discovery.
Another aspect of the pre-trip preparation involved creating teams based on shared interests to mimic real-life team collaboration. Teams’ research projects served as the course’s final deliverable. Considering how far geographically New Zealand is from the rest of the world, my team focused on the shipping and logistics space within New Zealand to identify innovation opportunities.
Where culture meets commerce
Once in New Zealand, our schedule was organized into: all class plenary sessions, on-site company visits and cultural excursions. One of my most impactful plenary sessions was at Fonterra, a cooperative (co-op) dairy company based in New Zealand and owned by local dairy farmers. Known for processing and exporting dairy products, Fonterra is regarded as one of the global leaders in dairy.
We learned more about one of the course themes of export arbitrage, the concept of one country capitalizing on selling its goods in other markets to take advantage of cross-border trade. This was our first day as a class on the trip, and it truly began to reinforce how New Zealand is a small country that punches above its weight.
We also learned about the history and influence of Māori culture on Fonterra’s principles, architecture and philosophy. We heard from company leaders on the future of innovation in the dairy space and how their co-op business structure impacts the returns farmers receive. Hearing about how they approach the intersection of innovation and sustainability was eye-opening because I equated innovation with a technological connotation.
Amiwala (first row, left) and her GIM group at Fonterra.
My group member Eric Bragg ’25 Two-Year MBA organized and hosted one of my most impactful on-site visits at DHL. We learned how the shipping company maintains an industry-competitive advantage in New Zealand despite its remote location. Additionally, we also heard about the sustainable practices DHL is looking to integrate in the future.
From left to right: Bragg; Jamie Taylor, the director, business & commercial development at DHL Supply Chain in Auckland; Somya Gupta ’26 Two-Year MBA and Amiwala.
My GIM experiences have been incredibly worthwhile, thanks to the supportive and amazing relationships I built with my professors, peers and the global local networks. Beyond that, immersing myself in New Zealand’s culture, learning about product innovation and developing a research project focused on innovating the shipping and logistics space have helped me grow personally and professionally.
If you are considering GIM, an exchange program or other global experiences, take this as your sign to go for it!
Exploring New Zealand’s cultural and business scene [photos]
Kellogg students from L to R: Two Year MBA students Ebiuwa Emokpae ’25, Sakshi Agarwal ’25, Priti Kantesaria ’26, Somya Gupta ’26 and Eric Bragg ’25 and Bushra Amiwala ’25 Evening & Weekend MBA at Kathmandu.
Amiwala (left) and Priti Kantesaria ’26 Two-Year MBA at the Lord of the Rings Museum, during one of the cultural tours and exhibits in New Zealand.
