Abstract:
There is a growing body of research centred on market shaping, which draws from the
assumption that markets are not given, but can be changed, transformed and manipulated
through actors’ deliberate and often collective efforts. This market shaping process often
coalesces with the adoption of new technologies. However, extant studies mainly focus on the
actors’ collaborative and collective efforts in domestic market systems. This study investigates
market shaping undertaken by a joint industry and government collaboration in New Zealand
to shape a market system domestically for export globally. The export market is particularly
important to New Zealand due to its geographical location and production from primary
industries, and the wine industry is a significant player within that, with exports of over $1.9
billion in 2020. Adopting an inductive reasoning approach, this thesis explores New Zealand
Lighter Wine, a recently concluded project between government and a network of interested
New Zealand wine industry collaborators, involving technological innovation, to initially
shape a domestic minimum viable market system for lighter wine with an aim to develop key
international export markets. The study offers a new five stage framework that facilitates the
shift from a project commencement co-creation phase through coalescing to collaboration and
from successful shaping of a domestic minimum viable market system to international market
competition and uses the history of the New Zealand wine industry in support of the
framework. The resultant research and framework have important implications for New
Zealand business with export potential, other jurisdictions looking to develop export markets,
and policymakers.
