Today I went to the launch of ‘PassItOn’, an initiative organised by the Kiwi Expat Association (Kea) to turn the nearly one million New Zealanders that live overseas into a network of virtual ambassadors.

Many Kiwis abroad are already virtual ambassadors, but it’s one thing talking to your mates down the pub about how great your homeland is, it’s quite another to make the connection to actually helping a New Zealand business.

This is what PassItOn (www.passiton.co.nz) sets out to achieve. It provides a platform for Kiwis to put forward what they do, why it’s special and what they need to take it to the next level. Expats and ‘friends of New Zealand’ can then decide whether they can help. The topics of the videos range from music to film to technology to food.

Linking in with the great marketing weapon that is the Rugby World Cup, PassItOn should be a great, ongoing project for New Zealand. Hopefully it will help the country to continue to punch above its weight.

In some ways it is about reaching as many people as possible in order to spread the word; but, perhaps more importantly, it’s about reaching the right people. If the right expats buy into it, then there should be no holding it back.

So get sharing people!