There are very few strategic risks to New Zealand from our current levels of exposure to imports from China, concludes a new report from the New Zealand China Council, co-sponsored by NZIBF.
AMIDST THE STORM: ABAC MEETS IN AUCKLAND
Perhaps a cyclone was after all a fitting backdrop for the meeting of the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) which was held in Auckland on 12-14 February – the global environment against which the meeting took place is decidedly stormy. In the event the wind raged and sandbags lined the entrance to the Cordis hotel, but the meeting successfully launched ABAC’s 2023 work programme with Dominic Ng of the United States in the Chair. As we now sadly know, other parts of Aotearoa did not escape Gabrielle’s wrath and our hearts go out to the people and businesses in the severely affected regions.
ABAC getting back to business
This was not the first ABAC meeting held in New Zealand (we hosted in 2009, 2014 and 2018) nor during a big storm nor the first since the pandemic waned to allow in-person meetings. Nonetheless it was special for ABAC NZ in that in our APEC host year of 2021 all meetings were held virtually. This was a chance to offer some manaakitanga to our guests and to show them New Zealand’s business capabilities particularly in innovation and sustainability as well as trade. Some 132 ABAC delegates (Members, APEC Senior Officials, Staffers and Guests) finally made it to Auckland and while a “safety first” approach meant some changes to the programme, the business sessions continued largely uninterrupted.
This was a chance to offer some manaakitanga to our guests and to show them New Zealand’s business capabilities particularly in innovation and sustainability as well as trade.
We were delighted that Prime Minister Chris Hipkins was still able to drop in to the welcome reception after attending to urgent cyclone preparations. Despite the grim weather the Prime Minister spoke about the importance of trade with the APEC region and the strength of ABAC as APEC’s business voice.
The cyclone lent a particular poignancy to the discussions on sustainability and the impact of climate change. ABAC NZ Member Malcolm Johns has played a vital role in this work for the last three years and continued to lead climate-related work during his final ABAC meeting. ABAC NZ Member Rachel Taulelei, supported by Lead Staffer Stephanie Honey, led the work on economic integration, including strengthening the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and realising the Free Trade Area of Asia and the Pacific (FTAAP), building on a work plan established last year. Other important topics covered at ABAC included supply chain management, trade and climate and the role of the digital economy and paperless trade.
Showcasing New Zealand
A number of kiwis addressed the meeting. Simon Bridges of Auckland Business Chamber, Andrew Grant from McKinsey & Co, Simon Tucker from Fonterra and Vangelis Vitalis and Blake van Velden of MFAT all contributed valuable perspectives. Minister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O’Connor delivered his remarks to the opening plenary by video, encouraging ABAC to make practical and relevant recommendations to Ministers and Leaders.
While the weather made it impossible to take delegates to visit some of Auckland’s most innovative companies, two of them came to the hotel. Grant Verry, CEO of innovation hub Food Bowl, talked about the transformation it is effecting by fast-tracking small producers and generating exciting new Asia Pacific partnerships. Greg Cross of Soul Machines opened up a future of ‘digital people’, which are becoming more real and engaging and a powerful tool for business.
Genesis Energy hosted a Sustainability Lunch, supported by stunning kai moana from sponsor Moana New Zealand. Attendees heard from Malcolm Johns and Jolie Hodson (by video) about Spark’s sustainability journey.
Rachel Taulelei chaired a Women’s Entrepreneurship Lunch featuring Oscar-winning film producer Chelsea Winstanley, optometrist and community health leader Renata Watene and fashion designer Kiri Nathan. The lunch blended entrepreneurial flair with deep commitment to telling ‘stories’, changing lives and placing women and Indigenous people in the centre of it all.
Silver Fern Farms hosted a magnificent gala dinner, a festive celebration of delicious Net Zero Carbon beef and lamb with matching wines from Villa Maria’s Earth Garden collection. Two hundred guests enjoyed a stunning presentation of New Zealand ‘in the round’ on ten huge video screens, a magnificent cultural opening by Ngāti Whātua Ōrakei and a great floorshow by some incredibly talented artists. Foreign Minister Hon Nanaia Mahuta delivered her address by video speaking about tikanga and sustainability.
Haere ra, ka kite anō
The ABAC meeting ended to the sorrowful tune of “Now is the Hour” as we farewelled our guests. Chair Dominic Ng and ABAC Members were generous with their thanks and appreciation of the distinctive “New Zealand Inc” contribution to the meeting. Videos with interviews with some of our delegates will be posted to this website in coming weeks. We hope that we impressed not just with New Zealand’s approach to innovation, sustainability and trade but with our “can do attitude” and ability to do the impossible, at short notice, as a storm raged and with a smile!
This post was prepared by Stephen Jacobi and Glen Candy of NZIBF.
NZIBF and ABAC NZ wish to the generous sponsors of the ABAC meeting: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Auckland Business Chamber, Xero, HSBC New Zealand, Silver Fern Farms, Fonterra, Genesis Energy, Moana NZ, McKinsey & Co, Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, Cordis Hotel.
REGISTER WITH TRADE WORKS
Register to stay up to date with latest news, as well as saving and discussing articles you’re interested in.
Latest News
Sourcing from the world’s factory – new research report into imports from China
There are very few strategic risks to New Zealand from our current levels of exposure to imports from China, concludes a new report from the New Zealand China Council, co-sponsored by NZIBF. Even if we were to diversify our sources, China is now so...
ADDRESS TO THE 54TH ONE STOP UPDATE FOR THE ACCOUNTANT IN BUSINESS – GLOBAL ECONOMIC UPDATE
AUCKLAND, WELLINGTON, CHRISTCHURCH, MAY 2024 STEPHEN JACOBI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - NZ INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS FORUM Introduction Thanks once again to Brightstar for the opportunity to address you today. I’m sorry I can’t be with you in person as I am travelling...
APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Joint Statement 2024
2024 APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Joint Statement Arequipa, Peru | 18 May 2024 We, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade (MRT), met in Arequipa, Peru on 17-18 May 2024, chaired by Peru’s Minister of Foreign Trade and...
Business Forum welcomes UAE FTA negotiations
Media release, 7 May 2024 The NZ International Business Forum (NZIBF) welcomes the start of formal negotiations on the New Zealand/UAE Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) and looks forward to steady progress that will lead to the securing of a comprehensive...
Doubling our exports with zeroes…and ones!
The development of written language in the ancient world didn’t start with great poetry or literary epics. The catalyst for writing was the need to record the transfer of the ownership of goods from one person to another. Scribes did this by marking tablets of clay...
Asia-Pacific business leaders rally for robust global trade amidst rising protectionism
APEC NEWS RELEASE Issued by The APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) - April 2024 This week in Hong Kong, China, the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) voiced serious concerns regarding the global shift towards protectionism and regional fragmentation, risking...
SUBMISSION TO THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE – APRIL 2024
NEW ZEALAND-UAE COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT NEGOTIATIONS This submission is made on behalf of the New Zealand International Business Forum (NZIBF), whose members are listed at Annex A[1]. NZIBF is a forum of senior business leaders working together...
NEW TEAM FOR AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND LEADERSHIP FORUM
Media release, 2 April 2024 The New Zealand Co-Chair of the Australia New Zealand Leadership Forum (ANZLF), Greg Lowe, welcomes the appointment of Stephen Jacobi and Simon Le Quesne to the New Zealand arm of the ANZLF Secretariat. The ANZLF brings business leaders,...
NZ/EU FTA A BONUS FOR SOME SECTORS – BUSINESS FORUM
Media release, 22 March 2024 The NZ International Business Forum (NZIBF) acknowledges the passage of the implementing legislation for the New Zealand/European Union Free Trade Agreement and looks forward to the FTA’s entry into force on 1 May. “This agreement was...
“MEAGRE OUTCOME” FROM WTO IN ABU DHABI – BUSINESS FORUM
Media release, 2 March 2024 Despite its overwhelming importance at the heart of the international trade system, members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) have concluded their Ministerial in Abu Dhabi (“MC13”) with only a meagre outcome. NZ International Business...
To go or woe with the WTO?
We’ve been here before with the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The global trade body’s 13th Ministerial meeting (“MC13”) opens in Abu Dhabi on Monday 26 February, with Trade Minister McClay serving as Vice-Chair. In recent weeks diplomats, trade...
DCANZ – Agricultural Subsidy Distortions Must Be Addressed
23 February 2024 - Media Release by the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ) As the world’s Trade Ministers head to a WTO meeting in Abu Dhabi, the Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ) is calling for an immediate capping of agricultural...
Asia-Pacific business leaders call for greater economic dynamism with people at the center of the APEC agenda
16 February 2024 - APEC NEWS RELEASE Issued by The APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) The APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), meeting this week in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, expressed deep concerns about the growing pressures of economic fragmentation and the risks...
SUBMISSION TO THE PARLIAMENTARY FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DEFENCE AND TRADE COMMITTEE – FEBRUARY 2024
NEW ZEALAND EUROPEAN UNION FREE TRADE AGREEMENT LEGISLATION AMENDMENT BILL Introduction and Summary This submission is made on behalf of the New Zealand International Business Forum (NZIBF) and Export NZ. NZIBF is a forum of senior business leaders working...
ABAC Statement on WTO MC13 – February 2024
Now, more than ever, the world needs a credible, relevant, and effective multilateral trading system, with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core. In this era of global challenges, the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) recognizes that the WTO is...