The Government is expecting big things from its World Expo pavilion in Shanghai, China as the first of six trade missions to the event gets underway.
Trade Minister Tim Groser is leading a delegation of mostly seafood and meat industry representatives to China to further boost New Zealand’s growing trade foothold there.
Mr. Groser says with $30 million of public money invested in the expo, results must delivered, and he’s confident government funds plus the expected 7 million visitors to the New Zealand site will do that.
“Four or five weeks ago, China passed the United States as New Zealand’s second largest export market,” said the Minister.
“Depending on what month you choose to measure the growth in our exports, we’re looking at something like 40% plus growth in New Zealand exports. There are people in jobs that would otherwise not be in jobs there are businesses that are still operating because of China. I think China has got an opportunity to play a transformational role in our economic future. Shanghai Expo offers New Zealand a fantastic platform to showcase what we’ve got to offer. That’s the reason I’m here, that’s the reason there’ll four or five more ministerial delegations,” he said in an interview with Country99TV News today.
The Chinese expo runs until the end of September. Some seven million visitors will see the New Zealand pavilion during that time. Representatives of Sanford, Sealord Group, Oceanz Blue, Greenshell NZ and Silver Fern Farms are travelling with the Minister.
Tim Groser said, “ Let’s just put a few figures on the table so we can understand what’s going on here in meat and seafood.
“Meat and seafood are totally different from dairy, from our forestry, and from other aspects of our trading relationship which is powering ahead. We haven’t even started, actually, on seafood and meat. Our total exports of seafood, depending on whether you count on exports to Hong Kong that no doubt end up in China, are only 10-15% of New Zealand’s total seafood exports,” he said.
“ Meat is even smaller. Meat was only $132m last year of exports compared to New Zealand global exports of $5b of meat. So what the guys here are doing is trying to build business relationships. Some of them have got them in embryonic form, others haven’t. With the excellent work that the New Zealand officials have put in, what we’re doing is introducing them at high business level – that’s how business works in this country, with political cover you can open any door – and letting them go. Let’s hope that they can build on this over the next two to three years,” he said.
