Prime Minister’s Business Mission To Southeast Asia Supercharges Relationships And Business Opportunities

The Prime Minister Rt Hon Christopher Luxon has wrapped up a week-long mission to Southeast Asia accompanied by a senior business delegation led by Air New Zealand and ASB Chair Dame Therese Walsh and Fonterra CEO Miles Hurrell.

The business delegation joined the Prime Minister on his visits to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. The companies represented included those looking at opportunities in the green economy, technology, innovation, education, tourism and space sectors.

“The Prime Minister has led the way in both deepening our bi-lateral ties and also strengthening our commercial opportunities by opening doors in what has been a jam-packed mission to three markets,” says Dame Therese Walsh.

Southeast Asia is the world’s fifth largest economy with $9.1 billion of exports from New Zealand in 2023 and boasts some of the highest growth rates in the world. This makes it a region with significant opportunities for New Zealand exporters across multiple sectors.

“The level of export potential in these markets has been met by a high level of energy and excitement from the business delegation as we build new relationships and accelerate existing partnerships,” says Dame Therese.

“We often talk about Southeast Asia being in our backyard and this trip has reinforced just how true that is. There is enormous opportunity for New Zealand exporters in this region and that’s evidenced by the number of deals that were inked by our delegates during this trip, the first of many,” says Miles Hurrell.

There were several announcements made during the visit including:

• NZAero signed a multi-million-dollar, multi-year deal with Thai Aviation Industries Co. Ltd to supply parts to the Royal Thai Airforce.
• Air New Zealand announced an agreement to purchase nine million litres of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from Neste – it’s biggest ever deal on sustainable fuel.
• Massey University unveiled its enhanced partnership with PSB Academy in Singapore, which will see the tertiary education provider establish its first ever offshore campus.
• Plant & Food Research signed a cooperation agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and also secured a contract with Quezon City, the largest city in metropolitan Manila, to support its development of its traditional markets.
• Oritain announced its Southeast Asia expansion and the opening of a new office in Singapore later this year, alongside a multi-year deal with Singapore-based Ramatex.
• CarbonClick shared its partnership with Singapore’s Changi Airport. Carbon Click is supporting Changi’s carbon offset programme which encourages Singapore’s business community to use the Changi programme to offset their carbon.

“This business mission has been a great example of New Zealand launching itself onto the world stage in a coordinated way with political leaders and businesses working together as NZ Inc. There will be more missions to come as we continue to support the Government’s ambition to double the value of exports in the next ten years,” says Peter Chrisp, CEO New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.

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