Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said comments about previous overseas business delegations being "sort of the C-List" could have been expressed in a better way.
He made the C-List comments on NewstalkZB on Friday, ahead of his departure to Japan. He returns to New Zealand tomorrow.
Comparing trade trips under the previous Labour Government to those under John Key’s National Government - some of which he joined as part of the business delegation - he said they had been “very watered down, just sort of the C-list really”.
He said he wanted “the A list” in Japan.
Delegations under the previous Labour-led Government included Zespri and Fonterra - both of which have representation on the current Japan trip.
Christopher Luxon says New Zealand and Japan need to work together to protect both countries' shared interests. (Source: 1News)
Today, asked if he stood by his comments, Luxon said he “maybe could have expressed them in a different or better way”.
He said what he was trying to say was he put “huge effort” into getting the business delegation “right”.
“We’ve got a great delegation here .. it’s three times bigger than any one that came to Japan before, we’ve got a lot of senior leaders here”.
He said the business delegation in Japan had been pumping out some great deals and great arrangements
He said none of the business delegation had raised the comments with him.
Luxon said on official trips business delegations were curated to the market they were visiting.
“I’m really proud of this group and this is the way I want to go into these markets.
“We go as New Zealand Inc, we hit it with overwhelming force and we bring the right people who can actually do the business.”
'Pretty tough neighbourhood'
Luxon said his engagements in Japan today were focused on regional security, as he wanted to deepen security and defence ties with Japan, as well as economic ties.
He said New Zealand was already stepping up by increasing work enforcing UN sanctions against North Korea.
Yesterday he met with Japan's defence minister and discussed how Japan viewed its threats, Luxon said.
He said Japan was in a "pretty tough neighbourhood", close to China, Russia and North Korea, which he said represented potential "flashpoints".
SHARE ME