Discover. Develop. Deliver: An investigation of innovation processes and systems within New Zealand's red meat industry

Abstract

New Zealand’s red meat industry faces challenges of the evolving alternative proteins sector, emerging consumer trends, and environmental concerns, all of which drive innovation. A hybridised lens of design thinking, systems thinking, and regenerative thinking was used to investigate the innovation processes and systems within New Zealand’s red meat industry. The case studies selected centred on the emerging relationship between Silver Fern Farms (a meat processor) and the Food Design Institute at Otago Polytechnic (a culinary educational institute that undertakes new product development as part of their curriculum) in the innovation space. Incremental innovations were found to be the primary output of the Silver Fern Farms’ stage-gate innovation process. Meanwhile, the Food Design Institute’s design thinking innovation process leads to more creative and radical innovations. Maintaining a competitive advantage requires the proactive response to the drivers listed above and the consideration for designing radical innovations. Several opportunities were identified for Silver Fern Farms and New Zealand’s red meat industry in general to maximise the co-creation of value for themselves, consumers, and socio-ecological systems. The majority of opportunities identified employ collaboration with other industries and organisations, especially those that utilise different frameworks and have expertise in niche markets. Opportunities include pathways for creating radical innovations and strategies for responding to the challenges.