Prime Minister Bill English will travel to Japan next week to meet with Prime Minister Abe to discuss a range of global and regional issues, before travelling to Hong Kong to promote New Zealand’s economic and trade interests.

“I am looking forward to meeting Prime Minister Abe and discussing a wide range of issues, including trade and security, and initiatives our two countries are working on together in food, education, sport and defence,” Mr English says.

“Strengthening our trade and economic links with Japan will be a focus, including through the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

“New Zealand has long-standing and strong ties with Japan. My visit is an opportunity to help New Zealand businesses explore new ways of working more closely with Japan.

“My focus in Hong Kong will be to advance New Zealand’s economic relationship, build on our connections with some of the largest Hong Kong investors into New Zealand, and facilitate greater business and trade opportunities,” Mr English says.

During the visit to Hong Kong Mr English will meet with the current Chief Executive Mr CY Leung and incoming Chief Executive Mrs Carrie Lam.

In Japan, the Prime Minister will be accompanied by Trade Minister Todd McClay, and a delegation of senior business leaders.

Mr English will leave on May 16 and return on May 20.

The business delegation includes: Sir Graeme Harrison (chair ANZCO), Rachel Taulelei (chief executive Kono), John Wilson (chair Fonterra), Whaimutu Dewes (chair Sealord/Moana), Lain Jager (chief executive Zespri), Steve Tew (chief executive NZRU) Ian Simpson (chief executive GNS), Brian Stanley (chair Wood Council of NZ), Graeme Muller (chair NZ Tech), Simon Draper (executive Director Asia NZ Foundation) and Mike Allen (New Zealand Special Envoy for Renewable Energy).

|  A Beehive release  ||   May 11, 2017   |||

ABU DHABI - Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, has held a telephone conversation with Gerry Brownlee, Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand, congratulating him on his appointment.

During the telephone conversation, Shaikh Abdullah expressed his happiness as New Zealand announced that it joined the list of countries that have signalled their participation in Expo 2020 Dubai. Shaikh Abdullah and Brownlee also discussed joint cooperation relations between the UAE and New Zealand and means of boosting them.

|  A Gulf News release  ||  May 09, 2017   |||

New Ambassador to Iraq announced

Foreign Affairs Minister Gerry Brownlee has today named Bradley Sawden as New Zealand’s next Ambassador to Iraq.

New Zealand established an Embassy in Baghdad in 2015 to support New Zealand and Australia’s joint ‘Building Partner Capacity’ mission.

“This mission has trained over 20,000 Iraqi police and army personnel who are on the frontlines of the fight against Daesh,” Mr Brownlee says.

“Mr Sawden will be charged with supporting New Zealand’s non-combat training mission to Iraq and assessing how we can continue to support and build relations with the Iraqi government.

“In addition to leading New Zealand’s engagement with the Iraq government and providing diplomatic support to the training mission, our Embassy will also be responsible for maintaining relations with the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq,” Mr Brownlee says.

Mr Sawden has been involved in national and international security issues across the defence and security sector of the New Zealand government.

His most recent posting was in New York as Counsellor at the New Zealand Permanent Mission to the United Nations during New Zealand’s tenure as a member of the United Nations Security Council.

|  A Beehive release  ||  May 09, 2017   |||

Trade Minister Todd McClay travels to Vietnam today to hold talks with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Trade Minister Tran Tuan Anh to discuss developments for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreements.

“New Zealand and Vietnam are both parties to the TPP Agreement and the RCEP negotiation and we have a mutual commitment to high-quality trade deals that create opportunity for our citizens,” Mr McClay says.

“The Asia-Pacific is the fastest growing region in the world and this presents a huge number of opportunities for our farmers, growers, exporters and our wider economy.”

Vietnam is due to host the APEC trade Minister meeting beginning on the 21st of May, where meetings on both the TPP and RCEP will also take place.

“We appreciate Vietnam’s hosting of APEC and its commitment to trade liberalisation. It has also rapidly grown into an important market for New Zealand exporters,” Mr McClay says.

“Since the ASEAN Australia New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA) came into force in 2009 our two-way trade with Vietnam has more than tripled from $430 Million in 2009 to $1.3 billion last year.

“This visit will be an important opportunity to take stock of what has been achieved and discuss how we can continue to deepen this hugely beneficial relationship for our economies.”

|  A Beehive release   ||   May 7, 2017   |||

Trade Minister Todd McClay will chair the first meeting of the Trade Ministerial Advisory Group today (MAG) and says it builds on a strong campaign of new engagement opportunities in the trade portfolio.

“Trade contributed $70 billion to the New Zealand economy last year alone and hundreds of thousands of jobs depend on it. We all have a stake in the continued success of our export sector,” Mr McClay says.

“The MAG has been set up with this in mind and will provide better engagement on all trade issues. It will also serve as a more direct avenue for a wider range of interested parties to engage with the Government.”

The MAG includes representation from iwi, unions and NGOs, as well as industry bodies for primary industry, wood, seafood, tourism, education, horticulture, aviation and technology.

This first meeting of the MAG will focus on the detail of Trade Agenda 2030 and the first stages in the Government’s plans for implementing the new strategy.

“Trade Agenda 2030 sets a target of 90 percent of our goods exports being covered by FTAs by 2030. We are also looking to tackle non-tariff barriers more effectively and focusing more on new growth opportunities in trade in services, investment and the digital economy,” Mr McClay says

“We are charting an ambitious course ahead for trade deals and market access. It must be underpinned by a comprehensive programme of engagement that also aims to make more information available to the wider public.”

More information about the MAG can be found at: https://www.mfat.govt.nz/en/trade/nz-trade-policy/ministerial-advisory-group-on-trade/

|  A Beehive release  ||  May 05,2017   |||

Newly appointed Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee has wasted no time dealing with the diplomatic intricacies of his new role, reaching out to Israel and advocating for Kiwis' rights in Australia. He spoke to Sam Sachdeva about the difficulty of following in Murray McCully's footsteps, and the legacy he leaves behind in Christchurch.

Gerry Brownlee, natural diplomat?

The reaction of some to his appointment as Foreign Minister is perhaps no surprise - after all, this is the man who took it upon himself to insult the people of Finland during a parliamentary debate.

However, take into account Brownlee’s experience as defence minister and his time forging cross-party consensus as Leader of the House, and it’s easier to see why Prime Minister Bill English saw him as a safe pair of hands.

Brownlee sees his new role not so much as a promotion, rather a progression on the work he has been doing for the past few years.

“I’ve always kept a fairly close eye on foreign relations and what was happening in that particular portfolio, and in defence you do quite a lot of 'defence diplomacy' if you like, so it seemed like a natural progression in a way.”

|  A NewsRoom release  ||  May 04, 2017   |||  Continue to read full article here

If the UK adopts a 'New Zealand trade model' to source more affordable deals for its consumers, it could have a profound effect on olive oil exporters that have faced hurdles when exporting to EU countries.

 At the end of March, UK Minister Theresa May officially triggered Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon, setting in motion the two-year negotiation process of Britain leaving the European Union – or as it’s more commonly referred to, Brexit.

The move signals a fundamental change in the way the EU and Britain will conduct trade now and in the future. Not only will this affect trade agreements between the UK and the EU (allowing the UK to freely sell goods to EU countries without incurring additional import taxes), but it’s also set to have a massive impact on food imports which could create new trade opportunities for olive oil producers and exporters located outside of the EU.

The UK currently has a strong reliance on food imports, with an estimated 27 percent of all food eaten in the UK (by value) and 40 percent of all fresh produce coming from the EU. In total, 2016 saw £47.5 billion ($60.8 billion) in food and agricultural products being imported into the UK, of which over 70 percent came from the EU. It’s a need that the UK itself cannot support, with just 164,000 of crop-growing land.

Thanks to Brexit, it is estimated that the prices for imported goods will rise by at least eight percent, with prices for items like olive oil expected to rise by up to 20 percent due to the fact that producers in countries like Italy and Greece have been experiencing poor harvests over the past few months. This price increase is unlikely to change despite any new trade deals brokered between the EU and the UK, thanks to the costly, increased border and customs controls that Brexit will require.

Dutch multinational food and agriculture finance banking company Rabobank has suggested that a solution might be found in the UK adopting a “New Zealand-style trade model,” which would see the elimination of food import tariffs altogether, opening the market to exporters outside of Europe who can offer UK customers similar products at a more favorable price.

One of the import areas where this could occur is olive oil, with UK MP and Prime Minister’s trade envoy to Morocco and Tunisia Andrew Murrison even suggesting that smaller countries with an export capacity (such as Tunisia) could be the key to a more readily available, competitively priced source of olive oil for UK consumers.

In recent years, Tunisia has outstripped several European countries in olive oil production and while the EU currently has waived taxes on up to 35,000 tons of olive oil imports until the end of the year, it is a move that that has not been well received by European farmers, many of whom fear that introducing a cheaper olive oil source into the EU market will undercut local producers.

If the UK does decide to open adopt a more free market approach, it could pose bad news to EU olive oil exporters, who will lose their preferential access to UK buyers via a single market.

Other olive oil producing countries such as Australia might also be able to benefit from Brexit, where farmers have previously complained that the stringent labeling and marketing requirements for exporting olive oil (as well as the subsidization and tariff protection of European goods) make selling to EU markets a significant challenge.

|  An Olive Times release  ||  April 25, 2017   |||

As its future hangs in the balance a veteran EU trouble shooter weighs up the Union, past and present. Five questions now for Michael Lake.........

 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Few officials have been involved in the EU at such a high level for so long and in so many sensitive postings as New Zealand-born Michael Lake, former EU ambassador to Turkey and to Hungary. Along the way he served also in New York, Brussels, and Tokyo. He was witness to the EU and participant in its operations from the outset of Britain’s membership when he was literally drafted in to assist the UK blend itself into European institutions.

Looking back between the 1975 referendum, the one which saw the UK joining the EU, and now Brexit, what went right? What went wrong?

What went right? Where do I start? Seventy years of peace, democracy and  stability in western Europe  after France and Germany had been at war with each other three times during the previous 70 years, usually dragging others into their fighting, notably Britain twice. Also the achievement of common policies which run more or less successfully today on international trade and remember that the EU is the world’s biggest trading bloc by far. It has acted in agriculture (sometimes too protectionist), and over the years in several other areas where it is more effective to act together than alone such as in climate change and the environment generally, energy policy, consumer rights, social policy especially in workers’ rights, and  in the 35 chapters  of the body of EU law.

There is the single market of 500 million consumers, which Mrs Theresa May seems to want Britain to leave. There is expansion of the EU to 28 members (soon to be 27) by including those countries recently released from 40-50 years of Soviet rule. Then there is the EU’s status as a community of law.

What went wrong?  Time and forgetfulness, and younger generations decade by decade who have taken it for granted and are unaware of its benefits.  Too much regulation, certainly. Although what happened was that the EU regulations replaced national regulations in order to make a level playing field for trade.  So the aggregate of regulations in this area has not changed much. A newish one is that such regulations forbid state aid for industries.   State aid is a subsidy and thus unfair. It’s like doping. It is allowed in special circumstances such as in restructuring major basic industries like steel and coal which are now almost irrelevant anyway, but which require concomitant efficiencies, such as down-sizing and major investment.

Generally speaking, the EU has always had trouble communicating with the public, largely because it can be highly technical and very diverse, and because national media tend to concentrate on national stories, thus undermining the more general overview of Europe working on a daily basis. Britain is particularly bad at this and over 40 years the coverage has been on a win/lose basis. In fact Britain has won most of its disputes by far, whether they actually got to the European Court of Justice or not.

The European Parliament which has a far closer hands-on role in governance on EU matters than ordinary British MPs have on British affairs is nevertheless remote from ordinary people partly because constituencies are too big and the media coverage has always been scant. But the European Parliament has the power of co-decision on most things with the Council of (national) Ministers.  It can vote against and thus wreck a Brexit deal with the UK.

You became the European Union’s ambassador to Turkey and as such point man for a policy to integrate Turkey into the EU. In the light of developments over the past year, how do you view this policy now?

I was EU ambassador in Turkey and then, as you know, in Hungary. Here I was locally in charge of monitoring Hungary’s “accession” or membership process covering the 35 chapters I referred to in your previous question.

I was also closely involved earlier with Turkey joining the EU customs union, the only country to be in the customs union without full membership. This had a huge effect in Turkey such as when. the first department stores opened, and the expansion of trade offered consumers better quality at more competitive prices. Turkey relies on the EU market for more than 50% of its exports.  Turkey no longer qualifies for membership and would be blocked because of its moving away from the pillars of democracy such as   freedom of expression, a free media, and an independent judiciary.

It still does meet the requirement for pluralistic elections.   Erdogan is now in charge of a bitterly divided country which is not what he intended. He expected to win by 60 per cent. Turkey’s candidacy for membership has not yet been revoked.  But if Erdogan goes ahead and reintroduces the death penalty it would be revoked by the EU.   This would be highly unpopular amid large swathes of the Turkish population who are pro-EU and highly sophisticated.

The recent referendum was so close as to create a new situation - Erdogan not only lost in his home city, Istanbul, but in his own constituency, Fatih, which is very conservative and rife with burkhas.  Watch this space...Meanwhile it’s a tragedy, but in spite of Erdogan’s dictatorial rule the country remains a very important member of Nato and largely western values on the edge of a region in turmoil.   There is no appetite to cut Turkey off.

Many believe that the United States was behind the expansion of the EU. To what extent was/is this true?The United States has always, and now, even under a revised Trump II, been strongly in favour of the EU for the democratic and economic values it represents. The EU and the US are each other’s biggest trading partner.  I have never heard of the US specifically interfering in EU policies except once which happened to be in my own case. This was when the US ambassador in Turkey came to me and said that the White House wanted to know how they could help get the fractious European Parliament to endorse Turkey’s membership of the customs union?

I told him how this could in fact be done.  He followed my advice. Tony Blair and ( Spain’s premier) Felipe Gonzales  personally gave instructions to their delegations which comprised the biggest political group in the European Parliament and the deed was done.

There was, however, a case where the US may have taken a discreet lead and must indeed have agreed.  At the G-7 summit in Paris in 1988, which I attended along with the seven other G7 summits in which I participated, the EU for the first time ever was given a role in eastern Europe and thus the Soviet bloc which hitherto had been the sole policy preserve of Nato

As Poland and Hungary, and indeed even East Germany, were showing signs of relaxing under the Soviet governance of Gorbachev there was a role for the EU in economic and social development (including more openness) of the bloc.  The US strongly supported the enlargement of the EU from 15 to 27 in 2005 for strategic reasons.  We have to remember too that the US has many, many citizens whose families hail from central and eastern Europe.

How do you gauge the success or otherwise of the Euro currency?The adoption of the Euro has been a boon to ease transactions without exchange rate costs across most of Europe. Anyone travelling on the Continent or involved in cross-border trading, whether in goods or finance, realises this immediately.  But the system lacks a unifying authority, such as a Federal Reserve Bank, able to take decisions and able to issue eurobonds. The issue of a federal Europe is still controversial, but there is still widespread reluctance to go further towards further union that the EU has done with the Treaty of Lisbon. So when the banking crisis hit  the world in 2008  the euro system was unable to cope properly because it was still subject to a national decisions. The European Central Bank has coped by effectively printing money but this is ultimately not sustainable.  This instability in the euro zone remains. And it has exacerbated a prosperity gap between the richer northern Europe and the poorer southern, Mediterranean countries

If you were asked for advice on the EU by anyone in the New Zealand diplomatic-trade sphere, what counsel would you proffer?Quite simply I would say this. Take any opportunity at all seriously and go for it. The EU should be seen as the land of opportunity from a national point of view and on an individual level, a career-enhancing prospect.

|  From the MSCNewsWire reporters' desk  ||  Tuesday 25 April 2017   |||

Economic Development Minister Simon Bridges and Trade Minister Todd McClay have announced that New Zealand will participate in World Expo 2020, to be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The announcement was made during Mr Bridges’ visit to Dubai.

“Through Budget 2017, the Government is committing $53.3 million to construct a New Zealand Pavilion that will allow Kiwi businesses to highlight their innovative products and services and open doors to new export markets,” says Mr Bridges.

“Showcasing New Zealand to the world is a crucial part of boosting economic growth. Expo 2020 will provide a springboard to promote us as an innovative, solution-focused economy to the 25 million visitors expected to attend from across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Asia.

“It will also allow us to build on our strong economic and transport links to the UAE which acts as a global air and sea logistics hub, providing access for New Zealand exporters to a much wider region. We’re already well connected with five direct daily Emirates flights, contributing $700 million to the economy,” says Mr Bridges.

“It makes clear economic sense for New Zealand to participate in this global event,” says Mr Bridges.

The Expo will take place from October 2020 to April 2021 with Mr McClay saying it will attract high-value visitors from all corners of the world.

“Expo 2020 is a vital opportunity to increase New Zealand’s profile amongst new trading partners as well as grow our trade with existing partners,” says Mr McClay.

We have a strong trade and economic relationship with the UAE and $3.8 billion of two-way trade with the wider Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC),” says Mr McClay.

“The Gulf States also importantly provide an entry point into the wider region for many New Zealand companies and a base from which to better access the wider Middle East and beyond,” says Mr McClay.

New Zealand is close to completing a free trade agreement with the GCC, which comprises of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The UAE alone is New Zealand’s twelfth largest trading partner, with annual two-way trade exceeding $1.9 billion in 2016.

About Expo 2020

Expo 2020 has the theme of Connecting Minds, Creating the Future. The Expo site will be around 2sq/km in size and will contain three thematic areas: opportunity, sustainability and mobility.

These three pavilions will showcase ideas and innovations, and countries that attend will have their specific pavilions spread around the thematic areas. New Zealand has been invited to participate in the sustainability precinct.

The organisers expect around 180 nations to participate. New Zealand is among the first 20 to formally confirm attendance.

More information on the Expo see http://expo2020dubai.ae

New Zealand Pavilion

The Government is about to launch an RFP process within the creative sector of New Zealand to select the best team and ideas for the design and content.

|  The Beehive  ||  April 23, 2017   |||

Economic Development Minister Simon Bridges will travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) tomorrow for meetings with Ministerial counterparts in Dubai.

“New Zealand’s relationship with the UAE continues to go from strength to strength. This visit will be an opportunity to progress discussions across a range of areas, including economic opportunities and collaboration in areas such as renewable energy and the New Zealand-Gulf Cooperation Council Free Trade Agreement,” Mr Bridges says.

The UAE is now New Zealand’s largest export market in the Middle East, and our 12th largest trading partner.

Alongside meetings with counterparts, the Minister will also meet with Dubai-based New Zealand manufacturing firms and Kiwi business representatives as well as the CEO of Emirates Airlines, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

“The UAE is often seen as the gateway to the wider Middle East and North Africa region and a number of New Zealand firms have a presence in market. It is also an increasingly important hub for tourists travelling to New Zealand. The five daily Emirates Airlines flights alone are estimated to be worth $700 million to the New Zealand economy,” Mr Bridges says.

“Like New Zealand, the UAE is investing significantly in innovation and given the complementarity of our respective markets, this presents real potential for greater cooperation. I look forward to discussing this opportunity on my visit.”

The Minister will also attend a Dawn Service to commemorate Anzac Day before returning to New Zealand.

|  A Beehive release  ||  April 21, 2017   |||