Hawaiian interest in N.Z. market

Press, 11 April 1977, Page 3

Hawaiian interest in N.Z. market

Hawaii is interested in tapping New Zealand’s tourist market and importing more of its meat, fruit, and other products, says the president of the Hawaii Chamber of Commerce, (Mr George Mason).

Mr Mason, who owns his own publishing firm, is a member of the JapanHawaii Economic Council. The council was set up to improve relations between Japanese investment interests and Hawaii. Fifteen council representatives have been visiting Auckland to discuss the development of closer links with New Zealand. This was of particular interest to the Japanese representatives, Mr Mason said in Christchurch last week.

He said a New Zealand trade mission would visit Hawaii in September and

the discussion would emphasise building materials. Hawaii was also interested in importing more meat and fruit from New Zealand, as it was cheaper to shop these goods from New Zealand on foreign ships than from the* United States in American ships. Tourism was Hawaii’s only growing industry and it was interested in capturing more of the New Zealand tourist market. “We have not really begun to advertise in New Zealand,” said Mr Mason. “Our natural market for tourism and imports is the Pacific basin,” he said. “People on the East Coast of the States tend to travel to Europe, thinking Hawaii is at the end of the earth, but people on the West Coast tend to travel more in our direction.”