‘Opportunity’ For Industry

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31399, 19 June 1967, Page 14

‘Opportunity’ For Industry

There was a “golden opportunity” for industrialists to negotiate agreements with Australian firms for the manufacture of goods under licence in New Zealand, the newly-appointed Australian Trade Commissioner for the South Island (Mr D. J. Ryan) said in Christchurch last night.

Mr Ryan said he was anxious to hear of any firms in New Zealand which were working at idle capacity in the light industrial processing industries.

He said Australian firms would also be very interested in hearing from such firms. Such licensing agreements ne said would go a long way to overcoming import restriction problems and solving the balance of trade between the two countries. Mr Ryan urged New Zealand manufacturers to back up the New Zealand Trade Commission by sending over

more and more trade missions. If these missions went in with the same determination as the last one to sell their goods they would be very successful. “They were obviously determined to sell,” he said, describing the last New Zealand trade commission. “They got down to business and there was no fooling about I met them in South Australia and was most impressed with the members and the quality of the goods.” I Mr Ryan saw no reason why New Zealand could not sell a lot more goods on the Australian market, especially in the light engineering field. “Like us in Australia you must learn more about selling. Both of us have to give Britain and other European countries hundreds of years start in experience but we are both learning fast,” he said. Mr Ryan said he wanted to stress that light industry running at little more than half pace could capitalise on licensing agreements with Australian firms to get up to 100 per cent capacity. I Asked about the sale of

primary produce in Australia Mr Ryan said there were problems which would have to be worked out at Government level. Asked about a political federation between the two coun-

tries he said it was up to New Zealand to decide whether this should eventuate. Mr Ryan, aged 42, has been with the Australian Department of Trade and Industry for 22 years and has worked in Canberra and all states except Queensland. He joined the department after the war and from 1962-65 was regional director in Hobart. He was born in South Australia, educated at Unley High School and served with the R.A.A.F. as a radio operator in New Guinea from 1942-45. His appointment to Christchurch is his first outside Australia. At home he has concentrated on alerting Australian industrialists to opportunities for export through information relayed back by Australian trade teams overseas. He will spend the next six weeks settling into his new post and in August will visit Dunedin, in September Invercargill, and in November the West Coast. He will also attend the Wellington trade fair with a party of South ‘lsland businessmen.