Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has touched down in China for a week-long tour of the country he says will be “a critical part” of New Zealand’s economic recovery post-Covid.
Hipkins is travelling with a delegation of 29 businesspeople and firm hopes of boosting export growth through business partnerships.
China accounts for almost 25% of New Zealand’s exports and was the country’s second-largest source of tourists pre-Covid, as well as a significant source of international students.
“The export of traditional goods like dairy, meat and wood to China remain important,” Hipkins said prior to departure.
“But it’s critical we also throw our support behind emerging sectors such as gaming and health and wellness.”
KATHRYN GEORGE/STUFF
Despite calls from the New Zealand government to diversify, exporters are sending a great slice of the pie to China every year.
That’s quite an eclectic mix of industries, so who has the PM taken along to push New Zealand’s economic agenda? Here are some of the heavyweights:
Greg Foran, Air New Zealand chief executive
Pre-pandemic, China was New Zealand’s second-largest international visitor market, after Australia, with 407,000 visitors in 2019.
Like every other airline on the planet, Air New Zealand was brought to its knees by Covid-19, but it has now begun the long process of reinstating routes and rebuilding capacity.
The airline resumed daily flights to Shanghai last month and ensuring there are bums on seats will be Foran’s top priority.
Chris McKeen/Stuff
Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran is one of 29 businesspeople joining Prime Minister Chris Hipkins in China.
Carrie Hurihanganui, Auckland Airport chief executive
All those tourists have to be funnelled through somewhere, right? According to Stats NZ, Auckland Airport welcomed 336,594 visitors from China in 2019.
Another 59,145 arrived into Christchurch, so it makes sense that Hurihanganui is joined on the tour by Christchurch International Airport chief executive Justin Watson.
Peter McBride, Fonterra chairman
It will come as no surprise to anyone to see Fonterra on this list. The dairy co-op exports massive amounts of product to China each year and Chinese demand is expected to double over the next decade.
No surprises, either, to see delegates Yanlin Yi, Synlait Milk China president and director of food service, or Westland Milk Products chief executive Richard Wyeth joining the delegation.
Clive Ormerod, Les Mills chief executive
At first glance, Les Mills boss Clive Ormerod looks like an absolute bolter on this list. But the fitness chain, which began in Auckland in the 1980s, has been operating in China since 1999.
Les Mills China partners with more than 2000 gyms and brands and has more than 9000 Les Mills instructors on its books, leading a massive 500,000 people through classes each week.
Tyrone McAuley, PikPok chief operating officer
Think of New Zealand exports and video games probably aren’t the first thing that springs to mind. But the industry has experienced rapid growth – so much so that developers have been forced to expand offshore due to local talent shortages.
Unsplash
Game development is a rapidly growing export industry.
Wellington game studio PikPok is one of the country’s largest, with more than 190 people employed locally. As well as McAuley, the industry will be represented in China by Dean Hall, chief executive of Auckland studio Rocketwerkz.
Jamie Tuuta, Sealord chairperson
Primary industry exports, on the other hand, probably do spring to mind. Sealord’s Jaime Tuuta will be joined on tour by Zespri chairman Bruce Cameron, Silver Fern Farms chief executive Simon Limmer, Alliance general manager of global sales and marketing Shane Kingston, and David Banfield, chief executive of honey producer and exporter Comvita.
Peter Winder, Te Pukenga chief executive
Te Pukenga chief executive Peter Winder is one of four delegates representing the education sector, which nets around $1 billion from international students each year.
Data from the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research found universities’ earnings from export education made up 1.2% of the country’s total exports of goods and services.
Others on the PM’s flight included Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi chief executive Wiremu Doherty, University of Auckland deputy vice-chancellor (research) Frank Bloomfield and John Van der Zwan, executive director of not-for-profit organisation Schools International Education Business Association.
Steve Unwin/Stuff
Weta Workshop founder Sir Richard Taylor has a long history of working with China.
Sir Richard Taylor, Weta Workshop chief executive and creative director
If your delegation of businesspeople doesn’t include Sir Richard Taylor, is it even a delegation at all?
The Weta Workshop founder has a long history of working with China, from model making, to film and TV productions, to designing major location based experiences.
He’s also a passionate advocate for Wellington and growing tourism in the capital – a match made in Miramar and a perfect fit for the PM’s China trip.
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