“N.Z. Week” Faces Newcastle Market

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31631, 18 March 1968, Page 22

“N.Z. Week” Faces Newcastle Market

(From DAVID BARBER, N.Z.P.A. special correspondent)

NEWCASTLE, March 17.

Trade and tourism interests have combined to produce “New Zealand Week,” which opens in the New South Wales city of Newcastle tomorrow. It will be the biggest single promotion New Zealand has undertaken in Australia.

Activities will be centred on Newcastle’s main department store—the fifth biggest in Australia—which will display and sell goods bought from at least 46 New Zealand manufacturers.

Trade officials regard the week as a test of New Zealand’s ability to sell consumer goods on the Australian market. They believe Newcastle is a “sample market” and await the reaction of local shoppers.

“Goods that sell well in Newcastle this week should Sell anywhere in Australia,” said one official. “Exporters who flop here may as well stay at home in the future.” Newcastle, 100 miles north of Sydney, is a prosperous city of more than 300,000 people. The main focal point for the rich, wine-producing Hunter Valley, the city serves a total population of about half a million. Maori Group The New Zealand Week will be supported by an eightman entertainment group from the Maori Theatre Trust, trav I films, a newspaper supplement on New Zealand and demonstrations and displays of New Zealand goods.

New Zealand Week came about as a direct result of the New Zealand manufacturers’ trade mission which visited Australia a year ago. A director of the Newcastle and District Co-operative Limited store, known simply as The Store, suggested the plan when he met mission members in Sydney. Most of the New Zealandmade goods on display have already been bought by The Store, which is convinced they will sell well. The goods, ranging from jewellery to toys, crockery, sports items, foodstuffs, carpets, clothing and hardware, will be on sale in 16 departments when The Store’s doors open tomorrow morning.

Many of the New Zealand manufacturers are making their export debuts. If they do well during the week they should be encouraged to tackle bigger retail markets in the major Australian cities. furniture Sales Six manufacturers have succeeded in selling various kinds of furniture to the store—a New Zealand export that has made little impact in Australia in the past. One line of “antique-styled” furniture placed on sale a few weeks ago was selling so fast that store officials had to withdraw it in order to have some left for display during New Zealand Week.