Shanghai Expo team chosen

A consortium including a leading architectural firm, award-winning exhibition and garden designers and the New Zealand office of one of the world’s leading project management companies has been chosen to create the New Zealand pavilion for the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.

Announcing that a letter of intent had been signed with the consortium, Minister of Trade Phil Goff said today that China’s economic and strategic importance to New Zealand made participation in the expo vital.

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“That we are close to signing a free trade agreement with China further increases the potential of the expo for us. China has the fastest growth of all the major economies. Its middle class now numbers over 100 million and is growing rapidly,” Mr Goff said.

“We’re thrilled to be chosen for this task,” says Chris Bicknell of Coffey Projects, who is to lead the team which will create and direct the building of the pavilion.

Mr Bicknell says: ”China is the focus of the world’s attention right now and will be very important in New Zealand’s future. This is a big responsibility and a wonderful opportunity. We are determined to do it justice.”

Working with Coffey Projects on the pavilion will be architects Warren and Mahoney, visitor experience specialists Story Inc, quantity surveyors Rider Levett Bucknall and renowned garden designer Kim Jarrett. Most members of the team were also involved in creating the successful New Zealand pavilion at the 2006 World Expo at Aichi, Japan.

The overall theme of the expo is “better city, better life.”

“New Zealanders usually don’t think of themselves as urban people,” Chris Bicknell says. “But in fact 86 percent of us live in towns and cities and our major cities rate very highly in world surveys of ‘liveability’. We will be showcasing both our lifestyle and the innovative side of New Zealand urban life in the pavilion.”

Mr Goff said New Zealand had secured a prime site for its pavilion – linked to the main walkway and visible to virtually every visitor to the expo. New Zealand Trade and Enterprise has overall direction of the project.

Organisers estimate that over 70 million people will visit the expo between May and November 2010.

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