SouthernLink is a big, bold idea we need to help double export value. It’s a concept that is gaining traction but needs more advocacy, writes Stephen Jacobi.
Can we focus just a moment on the big picture please?
The Chinese stock-market dive, the impact of fluctuating commodity prices, a report on the sources of increasing foreign direct investment, a rancorous public debate on trade, prospective negotiations in Paris on climate change – all these show one thing: New Zealand is linked inextricably to the rest of the world.
Sovereignty is a much debated term right now whether in Athens or Akaroa, but alongside it there is also inter-dependence: we depend on the rest of the world for the lifestyles we enjoy and we need the rest of the world to solve problems that plague the global commons.
Trade is an important part of that inter-dependence. Trade brings you the car you drive, the clothes you wear, the medicine you take, the device you use and a lot of the food you eat. Yet trade is changing as economies become increasingly integrated and inter-connected.
The TradeWorks site is dedicated to fostering greater understanding of these issues. You’ll notice some changes to the site and some increased traffic on our twitter feed in the coming month.
It is right and proper that the issues to do with globalisation, inter-connectedness and inter-dependence need to be robustly debated. But one thing is sure, New Zealand gains a lot from it’s interactions with the rest of the world.
This post was written by Stephen Jacobi, Executive Director of the NZ International Business Forum.
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