N.Z. expected to export more to Asia

Press, 7 June 1983, Page 8

N.Z. expected to export more to Asia

NZPA staff correspondent Hong Kong

Substantial increases in New Zealand exports to China and Malaysia were predicted in Hong Kong yesterday by the assistant secretary (trade services) of the Trade and Industry Department, Mr Malcolm Craig.

In an interview after a three-day conference of New Zealand trade commissioners in Asia, he said that more modest, but worth while short-term trade increases were expected in other Asian countries with the possible exception of Hong Kong, where little change was envisaged. “In the longer term it seems pretty clear that Asia is going to grow in importance as a market for New Zealand,” he said. “Japan, of

course, will remain number one, but others, particularly China, will grow in relative importance.” Mr Craig said that at present, Asia took about 26 per cent of total New Zealand exports, with half going to Japan. Growth in Asia had been faster than elsewhere and had become increasingly important as a market for both traditional and non-traditional exports from New Zealand.

The job of trade commissioners was “to help exporters export” and the meeting in Hong Kong had made “an agonising reappraisal to find out just how well we are doing and how we can do better,” he said. “Most of the time of our trade commissioners is naturally taken up with servicing existing trade,” said Mr Craig. “Helping existing

exporters expand sales is a key function. “But also, in order to use that rarest resource, time, in the most effective manner we all agreed that we needed to sharpen up our achievement-orientated strategies.” The world recession had made export competition tough and trade commissioners had to be more effective and professional. Mr Craig said that such conferences were useful managerial exercises and he felt the trade commissioners present left with “an edge to their appetites.” The conference was preceded by a meeting of the heads of missions from New Zealand’s nine diplomatic posts in Asia, and the two groups also held a joint session, which Mr Craig said was mainly trade-oriented.