NZIBF’s submission to MFAT on the New Zealand UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement Negotiations.
The ABAC opportunity for Māori
APEC BUSINESS ADVISORY COUNCIL
ADDRESS TO TE TAUMATA, WHAKATŪ, 24 NOVEMBER 2020
RACHEL TAULELEI, ABAC CHAIR 2021
In these unpredictable times it is challenging to think ahead.
Certainly no one thought that, come 2021, when Aotearoa New Zealand assumes both the Chair of APEC and ABAC we would need to do so virtually.
It is a shame we will not have the opportunity to showcase Aotearoa in the way previously envisaged, but the great news is, we still have an enormous opportunity to help shape the economic direction of the region and the future wellbeing of not just of Asia-Pacific businesses, but of our communities for years to come.
ABAC is the voice of business in APEC.
We gather as three leaders from each of APEC’s 21 economies – and each of the private sector business participants is appointed by the leader of that economy.
As mentioned, alongside me are Malcolm Johns and presently Toni Moyes; plus we have the amazing support of Stephen Jacobi, Stephani Honey, and the inimitable Carrie Stoddart Smith.
So we have a great team.
ABAC members meet four times a year, we exchange views and we make recommendations to Leaders.
ABAC’s recommendations are carefully built up over these four meetings each year by Working Groups established in the areas of:
- regional integration
- sustainability
- economy
- inclusion
- digital
It’s the art of diplomatic, subtle yet persistent pressure and influence to bring about the sort of inclusive, sustainable and prosperous region where all kinds of businesses can thrive, whether large or small.
ABAC has a direct channel of advice to the APEC Economic Leaders and Ministers.
That advice is provided in an annual report to Leaders but also importantly an end-of-year Dialogue with the Leaders themselves during APEC Leaders’ Week.
The line of reporting direct to the Leaders themselves is, as it sounds, pretty unusual but also of immense value. It’s our job to ensure that APEC’s work programme and its agenda for sustainable and inclusive economic growth makes sense to business and is grounded in our reality.
It’s no surprise that this year our work programme has been heavily disrupted due to Covid. But our stream of advice has not stopped.
Throughout this time, things important to ABAC NZ have been:
- how to avoid protectionism and keep open markets for essential medical and food supplies;
- how to minimise supply chain disruption and keep trade flowing and support the WTO;
- how best, drawing on our own experience, to provide help to small and medium sized enterprises which meets their specific circumstances;
- how to make sure that digital methods of communication and supply are used to maximum effect;
- how to prevent the health crisis leading to a food security crisis;
- how to keep the urgent need to address climate change at the forefront of our thinking in this new era; and
- how to deliver a vision for the future of APEC that is relevant to the new and uncertain circumstances we find ourselves in.
This year it was Malaysia’s turn and they pursued an ambitious work programme under the theme of “Integration, Innovation, Inclusion”.
Next year the task of chairing ABAC and leading the development of recommendations to Leaders and Ministers will fall to us.
Our theme for 2021 is “People, Place and Prosperity.”
Or as we like to think of it:
“Tāngata, Taiao, me te Taurikura”
To give you a flavour for how the themes might influence our priorities:
People (tāngata) is at the heart of this new agenda – their well-being, their hopes and aspirations for a future beyond Covid.
We hope that next year we can keep the needs of our fellow citizens and their social and economic progress firmly in our sights, building greater inclusion for women and indigenous people and continuing to find ways to build the capabilities of MSMEs.
If this current crisis has taught us anything, it is not to ignore the environment and place (taiao) in which we live.
The pandemic may have led to a brief pause in the rise of global temperatures, but the trajectory and the risks are still very clear.
Despite a contested political and economic context, we have the opportunity to show leadership in addressing and mitigating climate change and building a more sustainable, lower carbon future.
We need in particular to consider how to expand the development of renewable energy, level the playing field for environmentally responsible goods and services and build a more wholistic trade-friendly and digitally enabled food system.
As businesses too we know a lot about the creation of value over time – this value is what gives rise to economic and social progress and shared prosperity (taurikura).
In 2021, as we look on the damage done to our economies, we need to think more purposefully than ever before about what is needed for us to do business successfully and seamlessly in the Asia Pacific region and to deliver value to our communities.
Successful business is underpinned by effective trade rules, by processes and negotiations which reduce barriers over time and by an enabling environment for the uptake of new technology, especially in the digital space.
Today our businesses are constrained by the pandemic, but we need to look to tomorrow and the ways in which our economies can be rebuilt and revitalised.
These are the considerations which will guide our work programme in 2021 and help us articulate how we can make progress, as we have advocated to APEC this year, towards a seamless, dynamic, resilient, sustainable and inclusive Asia Pacific economic community.
So, when I said earlier that this mahi is deeply relevant to all of business, I hope that list gives you a flavour for why.
As an island nation sitting at the edge of the earth, we need the world.
But, I also whole heartedly believe we are the best thing FOR the world.
As exporters, we rely on being able to move about the world in a fair, open, transparent, rules-based trading environment.
We rally against environmentally harmful, trade distorting subsidies such as you might find in various countries agriculture or fishing portfolios.
As a primary producer, food security and international access is immensely important.
As we all move into a new world, climate change is a shared burning platform. As humans, but in this context, as business.
So, it’s relevant.
And as an indigenous economy, we’re at the heart of what moves the dial. Like so many indigenous economies around the world we are a developing economy inside one which is already developed.
What’s good for us is good for all – and that is true world round. If I had to really lean into one thing in the coming year, it’s raising the profile of indigenous peoples, looking towards programmes like Supply Nation, and really thinking about how we use our learnings to empower the uprising and inclusion of indigenous economies around the world.
In terms of how we’re doing that, thus far we have produced a comprehensive ecosystem report on the Maori economy; we have bought our critical Maori thinker Carrie into the mix; we have an alternate member proposal in the works to broaden the bench strength of Maori; we’re working with APEC on their Maori programme; we’re developing a rangatahi Maori programme ride along style; and we’ve formed a group called Kahui Arahi to provide some direction to the conversations.
And, ABAC NZ needs you…I need you…
Taking up the challenge of crafting a meaningful agenda, turning this into practical recommendations and engaging with our ABAC colleagues virtually is no small undertaking.
Sessions like today are about how we engage with you, our own Maori business community to make sure that what we are advocating at the regional level makes sense locally.
I’m not going to lie, it’s tough to penetrate and influence the work programme – that became very apparent to me, very quickly.
But I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t think I and we could make a difference – and that I couldn’t present a view that had Maori, and the NZ business community at heart.
While not a fan of group think, I am a firm proponent of collective thought, and I welcome yours.
One thing I can tell you from the meeting I attended in Sydney in February: New Zealand is extremely highly regarded in ABAC, due to the hard work of former Members and our executive team, and there is a lot of anticipation about our year – both in terms of the way we ourselves do business and the substance of what we will be recommending to APEC Leaders.
So, please – I invite you to share your views with us and look out for opportunities to engage through Te Taumata, your local business association or sector group – we appreciate your contributions and participation.
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
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...
Global Industry Statement on the WTO Moratorium on Customs Duties on Electronic Transmissions
NZIBF has joined 170 international business associations in calling for an extension to the current moratorium on tariffs applying to digital services (like Netflix) at the forthcoming WTO Ministerial meeting. The undersigned associations urge WTO members to support...
Resilient supply chains: Yesterday, today and tomorrow
Published by the Hinrich Foundation, Singapore, 23 August 2024 By Stephen Jacobi History has much to teach us about the way trade contributes to prosperity through the movement of goods, services, people, and ideas. Today, data can be added to this web of...
SUBMISSION TO THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE
GENERAL REVIEW OF THE COMPREHENSIVE AND PROGRESSIVE AGREEMENT FOR TRANS- PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP (CPTPP) DECEMBER 2023 Summary This submission is made on behalf of the New Zealand International Business Forum (NZIBF). As individual NZIBF Members may make their own...
Todd McClay – your trade mission, should you choose to accept it …
As published by Newsroom 19 December 2023 By Stephen Jacobi “Twas the week before Christmas, When all through the house Not a creature was stirring, Except busy trade officials … ‘Tis the season to be “BiM-ing”* and the NZ International Business Forum has sent its...
2023 – Steps forward and back
Trade liberalisation moved forward and backward in 2023. Some notable gains have been achieved for New Zealand, but war, geo-political rivalry and global inflation continue to depress global markets. While the pandemic continued to lurk in the shadows, 2023 was the...
NZIBF releases Brief to the Incoming Minister of Trade
DECEMBER 2023...