ABAC brings together up to three senior business executives from each of APEC’s 21 member economies. Members represent a range of sectors and small and medium enterprises as well as large business. ABAC members are appointed by APEC heads of government and report directly to them.

Kia ora koutou katoa and welcome to these ABAC pages!

Our job at ABAC is to represent the views of businesses to the APEC Economic Leaders. We do this by engaging widely across the business sector and drawing on these views in the annual report and the in-person dialogue ABAC has with the region’s leaders. We also issue a range of reports and letters to APEC ministers and senior officials that advance your general interests as business owners and leaders in the Asia Pacific region.

New Zealand has consistently invested in ABAC because it gives us a huge opportunity to influence the economic direction of a region that takes over 70 percent of our exports and to find practical ways of rebuilding the Asia Pacific economy.

To do this effectively, we will need the help of business in New Zealand and our colleagues in other APEC economies. We’re keen to hear your views so get in touch and keep an eye on these pages for latest developments.

“Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari, he toa takatini”

“Success is not the work of one, but the work of many”.

Ngā mihi nui
Rachel

Meet New Zealand’s ABAC team

Members

Anna Curzon

Anna leads Xero’s global product team, overseeing the design and build of beautiful products and services that small businesses and their advisors need to thrive. Anna passionately advocates diversity in technology and building inclusive environments, where people feel enabled to do the best work of their lives.

Anna has previously served on the New Zealand Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council, and continues to use her 20-plus years of experience in the finance and technology industries to help supercharge the New Zealand economy. In 2017 the global SaaS Report named Anna one of the Top 25 Women Leaders in SaaS. 

Anna was appointed as one of the three APEC Business Advisory New Zealand Members in 2021, and co-chaired the Digital Working Group, a role she continues to fulfil in 2022.

Executive Team

Stephanie Honey

Lead Staffer New Zealand, ABAC Business Advisory Council

Stephanie Honey is the director of Honey Consulting Ltd, a trade policy and strategy consultancy, and co-founder of Global Trade Insights, which offers executive education in trade policy to governments and private sector clients worldwide.  Stephanie is a former diplomat and trade negotiator.  She has specialist expertise in digital trade, regional economic integration in the Asia-Pacific, the World Trade Organization, agriculture, trade and gender and SME inclusion in trade.

Carrie Stoddart-Smith

Māori Engagement Advisor

Carrie Stoddart-Smith (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Whātua) is Managing Director and Principal Indigenous Trade and Economies Consultant at Opinio Native, an indigenous consultancy firm that offers strategic, policy and communications advice on Māori trade, economy and political matters. In her mahi (work), she helps Māori entities get their voices in front of the decision makers that matter to their interests.