SPECIAL ABILITIES 34 Men ‘Selling’ N.Z. In 19 Posts
New Zealand trade commissioners overseas needed to have a superior education, a superior personality and a special ability for the job, said the Christchurch district officer of the Department of Industries and Commerce (Mr P. J. Carroll) yesterday. The qualifications were required, not only to promote exports of farm produce and manufactured goods, but also create a favourable “image” of New Zealand.
The department was finding it difficult to select a full cadre of officers to serve overseas and to be available to replace returning commissioners from time to time, Mr Carroll said.
There were 34 New Zealanders serving overseas, most of them in London and in Sydney.
“I cannot stress too strongly, that the trade commissioner service requires to be staffed with men and women of the highest calibre,” said Mr Carroll. Trade Posts
New Zealand, he said, had 19 overseas trade offices. Some countries, such as Malaysia and the United States, had more than one post.
Commonwealth countries with New Zealand trade posts
were Australia. Canada, Ghana, Hong Kong, India. Malaysia, the Pacific Islands, Trinidad, and Britain. The foreign countries were France, Greece, Japan and the United States. “Our trade commissioners do, of course, represent New Zealand in the geographical region of their location; for example, the officer in Accra travels to the several other West African countries to meet officials and businessmen with the ultimate objective of trade promotion in New Zealand produce and products,” said Mr Carroll. Income Levels Mr Carroll said New Zealand farm produce could, in general, be sold only to people with high levels of income, “to peoples whose average annual level of income is no less than New Zealand's.” Mr Carroll said that within 10 years, certainly within 20 years, there was good reason to hope that developing countries themselves, would reach the economic level where their populations could buy New Zealand farm produce. He said that with the precutting of lamb and other meats for overseas markets, a great quantity of off-cuts called flaps, had become available for disposal. Sales To Ghana A world-wide search by the New Zealand Refrigerating Company, through its Towers Associates in London, had resulted in New Zealand shipping 1000 tons of flaps each year to Ghana. Mr Carroll said that he had been told that the peoples of the East found the smell of sheep meats offensive. “Apparently the Japanese are mixing our low-priced ewe mutton wtih other meat and ingredients to produce manufactured products in Japan,” he said. “In this way the odour of the sheep is lost in manufacture.” Appreciation Mr Carroll was giving a luncheon address to 19 Christchurch manufacturers, members of the recent South-east Asia trade commission, and leading citizens at the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association. At the finish of Mr Carroll's address, a vice-president of the association (Mr C. W. Mace) said that the association would write to the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr Marshall) saying how appreciative Canterbury manufacturers were of work done by his department. In particular, the association would refer to the work done by the trade commissioner services outlined by Mr Carroll.
SPECIAL ABILITIES 34 Men ‘Selling’ N.Z. In 19 Posts
Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30712, 30 March 1965, Page 10
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