Butter big headache of Mr Gandar’s term

Press, 20 September 1982, Page 25

Butter big headache of Mr Gandar’s term

By

DIANA DEKKER.

in

London New Zealand's outgoing High Commissioner in London. Mr L. W. Gandar. hopes that none of his successors have to cope with the "dreadful position" reached in the New Zealand butter trade with Britain last vear. Mr Gandar was addressing a luncheon, attended by members of the New Zea-land-United Kingdom Chamber of Commerce, in London.

He reviewed his term as High Commissioner and the problems and triumphs he had seen in that time. "Since 1973. New Zealand's butter trade to the United' Kingdom has been on the rack. getting stretched thinner and thinner, though not. alas, necesarily longer at the same time." Mr Gandar said. "In 1981. because of the unfortunate linkage of the New Zealand butter question with other totally separte Community problems, we

reached the dreadful position of carrying on the trade on the basis of week-to-week extensions of the previous agreement, pending a decision. "This was in a trade sense perhaps the lowest point of my term as High Commissioner. when I think that for several weeks, a trade which had supplied 170.000 tonnes of butter a year to British consumers in the late 19605, was reduced little more than 10 years later to a tentative existence from one week to another. "I hope that my successors never have to cope with a similar situation, and that Community decision-making in this important area will prove in future not only to be

just, but speedv." Mr Gandar said. New Zealand's lamb and mutton trade with Britain had experienced "a whole new set of problems." During' his term the Common Agricultural Policy had been extended for the first time to sheepmeat and it was no secret that New Zealand did not think a sheepmeat regime was necessary. New Zealand understood

the reasons Britain joined the European Community and continued to wish the British Government every success in its efforts to adjust to economic change, he said. Mr Gandar reminded Britons, and the European Community in general, that adjustment to big changes in the external trade environment could not be made overnight.

In a positive survey of trade promotion advances during his term, Mr Gandar said he would never have thought when he first arrived in London that he would see New Zealand products such as high quality table wines, houses, sophisticated electronic equipment, and vending machines in quantity on the British market.

Although butter, meat and wool still accounted for the bulk of New Zealand exports to Britain, the United Kingdom represented an increasingly significant market for manufactured exports. Mr Gandar referred to a significant development in the last three years in mutually beneficial associations between New Zealand and British companies in jointventure investment, joint marketing arrangements, technology transfer, and consultancy and contracting. Britain had been, and

should continue to be. a big source of investment in New Zealand. Mr Gandar said he sus-

peeled that his successor might say little of difference when he was bidden farewell in three vears.