Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced she will lead trade delegations and trade-supporting visits to Australia, Asia, the US and Europe this year.
The announcement came as she revealed New Zealand’s border reopening dates for returning Kiwis and others who want to travel.
READ MORE: What you need to know about NZ's border reopening
"Our exporters have worked hard during the pandemic, achieving some incredible results and returns... And as we scale up the movement of our people, the physical support of our exporters will only grow," Ardern said.
"I see this as a key part of my role, and that’s why I am confirming today that I will lead trade delegations and trade-supporting visits into four key markets this year – Australia, Asia, the United States and Europe."
“New Zealand is in demand. Our exports are at record highs, people want to live and work here, international students want to study here, our friends and whānau want to return,” Ardern said.
New Zealand's free trade agreement (FTA) with the EU has stalled, with Ardern holding talks over summer and revealed New Zealand's "eye is on the prize with the EU" in 2022. The FTA with the UK announced in 2021 was still an in-principle agreement.
New Zealand's Government has also been urging business to diversify trade away from being reliant on China, with Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta saying in April 2021 dependence on "any one market puts us in a very difficult position".
"Resting our trade relationship just on one country long term is probably not the way we should be thinking about things," Mahuta said at the time.
Ardern said on Thursday the focus of New Zealand’s recovery was on creating higher wage jobs through lifting productivity, growing people’s skills and investing in innovation and infrastructure.
“When we look back in 20 years’ time at this period in our country’s history, I don’t want people to just see Covid,” Ardern said.
“I want them to see an economy and country that was fundamentally repositioned to become more sustainable and resilient and taking on the challenges of poverty, inequality, climate change and mental health, problems the world is grappling with."
These will be into "four key markets", Jacinda Ardern announced. (Source: 1News)
BusinessNZ chief executive Kirk Hope said businesses welcomed the plan, but wanted more detail.
He said tourism businesses needed a firm date for the end of self-isolation and other businesses needed to know more about entry requirements for skilled workers with prior connections to New Zealand, whose visas may have expired during the pandemic.
Frances Valintine, founder of The Mind Lab and Tech Futures Lab, said she was "super excited to hear of these plans as a business owner and someone who has spent my entire career dedicated to developing talent".
“We know how much we need more talent in this country to take on the changes, the troubles and the problems we need to solve in a world that’s changing due to climate change, changing demographics, globalisation.
“I think of this as the beginning of a wonderful new future and I’m super excited at this stage to be a part of a day that we will remember into the future, where we began our new future.”
ExportNZ, a division of BusinessNZ, said by leading trade delegations to Australia, Asia, the US and Europe, Ardern had demonstrated the importance trade will have in New Zealand’s economic recovery “as we all look to find our footing in a post-Covid environment”.
SHARE ME