Survey Of Export Potential

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31042, 23 April 1966, Page 1

Survey Of Export Potential

The chances of exporting greater numbers of Canterbury Corriedale sheep overseas were very good, said Mr D. N. Hull, an export liaison officer of the Department of Industries and Commerce, in Christchurch yesterday. This finding, he said, was a result of an extensive survey he had been making for several weeks of Canterbury’s export activity. One more week would finish the survey. Recently New Zealand had fallen behind Australia in the exporting of Corriedales, because Australian competitors had been getting better incentives from their Government, he said. The better incentives

enabled the Australians to undersell Canterbury breeders.

“We can’t match their price now,” he said. “Yet the grandfather of Mr J. R. Little, of the Hui Hui stud, Hawarden, evolved the Corriedale.” Mr Hull said that in Wellington next week he would discuss the developing of Corriedale exports with appropriate authorities. The survey, said Mr Hull, showed rather surprisingly that Canterbury metal fabricators using skilled labour were able to sell curtain tracks, wire strainers, and windmills in Australia. He attributed this achievement to a basis of good design and “pretty skilled workmanship.” Mr Hull yesterday returned from a week surveying existing and potential export activity in South Canterbury,

including Timaru, Waimate, Temuka, and Pleasant Point. After the old-established exports from this area of meat and wool the biggest were pasture seeds.

“Pasture seed exports are fairly well established, but 1 think we can expand,” he said. “Fish is becoming a useful export in South Canterbury. I saw the insulator works at Temuka, which has exported a little in the past, and they have some hopes for the future. 1 saw one or two small places. One made slashers and grubbers. We will try to find out if there are markets for them overseas.” Mr Hull said he hoped to release more details of his survey soon.

“It is quite an encouraging list now. I think certainly we can hope to develop the things that have been export-

ed already, and we can also try with new products, even in the manufacturing field. “There are quite encouraging signs that quite a few of our factories can make manufactured goods with which they can hope to compete on overseas markets. “There has been evidence that Government export incentives have been useful. There have also been many requests to have the incentives broadened. Mr Hull said there could be more processing of primary products in Canterbury, such as carpets, carpet yarns, and wool tops. “Many bigger firms in Canterbury are willing to ‘have a go’ now and to put some money into export, even where the expected immediate return is not very much hut might be very good over the long term,” said Mr Hull.