Australia comes into Focus

Press, 8 March 1984, Page 25

Australia comes into Focus

NZPA-AAP Sydney Take a 30m luxury New Zealand yacht, several dozen bottles of New Zealand Steinlager and wine, along with mussels and prawns and New Zealand trade heavies, and what have you got? The answer is a New Zealand export drive, a big drive in fact — so important that the New Zealand Government has put up $500,000 to spearhead the venture.

The event, which took place on Sydney Harbour recently, marked the first taste Australia has had of “Focus New Zealand,” a three-year combined private and Government venture launched by New Zealand to boost exports to Australia. As Mr Neil Wilson, of the New Zealand Trade and Industry Department ex-

plained, Focus was born in August last year after the signing of the Closer Econonic Relations agreement between New Zealand and Australia early last year.

“From New Zealand’s point of view C.E.R. left us with a challenge to take advantage of the situation with the new guaranteed entry into the Australian market,” said Mr Wilson.

“So the Export Institute had discussions with Trade and Industry with the aim of increasing exports to Australia.”

Focus was officially launched in New Zealand by the Prime Minister, Sir Robert Muldoon, in August last year and comprises 50 per cent private business sector and 50 per cent Government.

Focus is run by a board of six — three from the

Export Institute and three from Trade and Industry — with the former Export Institute president, Mr Graham Bolt, as chairman.

Mr Wilson said New Zealand companies register with Focus — 1000 are now on the books — and then Focus offers the opportunity to join with other companies and launch suitable projects to promote and, it is hoped, boost exports to Australia.

Focus weighs up the product and decides which approach to take to promote it in Australia, whether it be a trade mission, trade fair, or sponsorship of a company or product. Mr Wilson was quick to point out, however, that the aim was not to flood the local Australian market with New Zealand products but rather improve the New

Zealand stance on Australia’s import list. “New Zealand has a share of Australian imports of just under 4 per cent and we would like to improve it,” he said.

The co-ordinator of Focus, Mr Paul Crack, said that there was no question at all that New Zealand would flood the Australian market.

“We are providing the Australian market with a source of supply and we would like to be Australia’s preferred source of supply. “Australia is now New Zealand’s biggest market for manufactured items and Focus is merely an attempt to do better business through doing better business.”

The first taste Australia will get of Focus will be the Australian Furnishings Ex-

hibition in Melbourne during the first week of April, which- has been jointly co-ordinated by the group. To launch Focus in Australia, a team of news media-export-import delegates from both sides of the Tasman and New Zealand consular staff were invited to set sail on Mr Harry William’s $1.5 million Pegasus II yacht. The 16-berth yacht, complete with mahogany and gold trim, microwave oven, stereo, colour television, marble bathrooms, and a well fed ship’s cat, proved a fine venue for the conception of Focus in Australia.

A highlight of the voyage was perhaps when the main sail was flown. There in bold letters on the sail for all Sydney Harbour to see were the words, “Focus New Zealand.”