N.Z. Known In Los Angeles

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31231, 1 December 1966, Page 1

N.Z. Known In Los Angeles

A visit to the shops and supermarkets of Los Angeles, a city of seven million, clearly showed that a place known as New Zealand existed, said the New Zealand Government Trade Commissioner in Los Angeles (Mr R. J. Inglis) yesterday.

On sale in Los Angeles were New Zealand beer, crockery, wooden-ware, including salad bowls and trays, paua shell jewellery, flax matting, a wide variety of gourmet soups, and Christchurchmade fruit cake.

Mr Inglis is visiting Christchurch to see. developments in industry. He will meet representatives of the Canterbury Manufacturers* Association and the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce at an informal meeting this morning.

In the United States New Zealand was building up a market for its manufactured goods, he said. But this was a slow process in a highlycompetitive market. He said a place existed for New Zealand in the American market if our quality and price were comparable with the products from other sources.

“We would like to see more New Zealand manufacturers or exporters showing an interest in the American market,” he said. "Primary produce will be our mainstay up there as it will be in most markets.” Mr Inglis said that better packaging and better presentation would help to sell manufactured goods in the United States.

“They sell not only on promotion by the manufacturer or the distributor but also on the eye-appeal of the article sitting on the shelves in the supermarket," said Mr Inglis. He said that there had probably not been a proper aware-

nets of the importance of the United States market on the part of the majority of New Zealand manufacturers.

The New Zealand trade office in Los Angeles had been opened 12 months ago, he said. This had become more necessary with the introduction of Air New Zealand flights to Los Angeles. “Also feeding from this area are other western states such as Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico," he said. “New Zealand exports to the United States were worth about 130 million dollars a year. The balance of trade this year would be about even.

“We have got our foot in the door in the American market and it will be built up," he said. Three trade missions to the West Coast of North America had increased American awareness of New Zealand.

Some members of the mission bad been successful. But some had to go back a second time and others had to go back a third time perhaps before they eould show an appreciable increase in trade.