2021
February
This month Martin Thomson Chair of NZCTA visited Christchurch where he had meetings with ChristchurchNZ to discuss opportunities for collaboration between our two organizations, the CEO and staff of Yili Group (Oceania Dairy and Westland) who are Gold sponsors of NZCTA and Huadu International. Martin then held a roundtable session with PRC Consul General Wang and was joined by senior management of Fiordland Lobster, Chirstchurch Airport and Synlait where a range of issues around Covid-19, supply chains and business were discussed. And to finish he caught up with a range of business people including representatives from Bank of China, NZTE, Walnuts NZ as well as NZCTA Christchurch Executive Committee members to discuss how NZCTA can grow our footprint in the South Island and engage more with companies and members .
March
NZCTA and North Asia CAPE co-hosted a second breakfast seminar, this time focusing on the tech sector in China with John Cochrane as the Guest Speaker. John who is currently General Manager of Facteon Intelligent Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Haier, shared his insights on doing business with China drawing on his more than two decades of experience in working with China and the technology sector in his roles with Facteon and previously Commtest as well as the NZ Trade Commissioner to southern China and Head of Business Attraction for ATEED.
NZCTA organized a round table session for a small group of our members with the PRC Consul General to Auckland – Mr Ruan Ping. Representatives from Karen Murrell Enterprises, Visy Board NZ, Natural Health Products NZ, Facteon Intelligent Technology Ltd, Latitude Technologies, New Zealand New Milk and Trademonster Group introduced their respective companies to CG Ruan and then engaged in a discussion around opportunities and challenges in business with China.
Following the roundtable session NZCTA hosted a New Year Celebration and networking event for members with Consul General Ruan Ping. 40 members attended to welcome in the Year of the Ox at DLA Piper’s new office in Commercial Bay with guests hearing from the CG and Martin Thomson Chair of NZCTA.
And at the end of March, NZCTA organized a webinar to introduce the Virtual Canton Fair featuring the representatives from the organizers China Foreign Trade Centre Group, Economic & Commercial Counsellor Huang Yufeng of the PRC Embassy in Wellington and Dave Salisbury – Brand Owner of Tullen Snips. Online participants were provided with an introduction to the virtual Fair and more information on how buyers could register and engage with exhibitors and heard more about importing and sourcing products from China.
April
Late this month, NZCTA co-hosted the New Zealand – China Business Assembly Forum with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) and the China Chamber of International Commerce (CCOIC). Officially led this year by China Mengniu Dairy Company the Forum was held under a blended format with CCPIT and CCOIC gathering over 150 VIPs and guests at the Beijing Hotel in China and joining us virtually in Auckland where we assembled 25 speakers, panellist and guests at a venue in Sky City. Another 200 participants joined online to hear speeches from officials in Beijing, Wellington and Auckland including Gao Yan, the Chair of CCPIT, Martin Thomson, Chair of NZCTA, Ambassadors Clare Fearnley and Wu Xi to both China and NZ, and President of Mengniu. This was followed by two panel sessions – the first one focusing on the FTA Upgrade hosted by Lisa Li, China Travel Service with Huang Yufeng from the PRC Embassy in Wellington, Angela Strahl of MFAT in Wellington, Rob Roughan of HSBC NZ and David Song MD of Yashili (Mengniu) Dairy NZ as panellists. The second panel session on New Business Opportunities post Covid-19 with Andrew White of NZ Trade Commissioner in Beijing as moderator featured Maggie Chen and Mike Arand of Alpha Group NZ, John Cochrane of Facteon Intelligent Technologies as panellists who were joined by Li Xian the founder of Coyote Group and David Boyle CEO of Primary Collaboration NZ Shanghai Ltd in Beijing.
May
This month NZCTA participated in a Forum on the China – NZ FTA Upgrade and Opportunities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong – Macau Greater Bay Area officially sponsored by CCPIT Guangdong, CCPIT Guangzhou, Canton Chamber of Commerce in NZ and NZCTA, organized by Guangdong Economic and Trade Representative Office in New Zealand and SKYKIWI.COM. Over 120 attendees gathered at the Cordis Hotel to hear presentations and speeches from a range of VIPs and guests including Ao Yan, Secretary-General of CCPIT Guangdong Committee, Liu Zewu, Vice President of CCPIT Guangzhou Committee with video addresses and Martin Thomson, Chairman of New Zealand China Trade Association, Xiao Yewen, Chinese Vice Consul-General in Auckland, Brett O’Riley, Chief Executive of EMA. Keynote addresses were made by Lily Wang, General Manager of China Southern Airline Auckland Office, Sherry Kang, Managing Director of COSCO Shipping Lines (NZ), Dr. Heida Donegan, Partner of Dentons Kensington Swan, Pier Smulders, Country Manager New Zealand International Business of Alibaba Group David Song, Managing Director of Yashili NZ Dairy and Howard Long, General Manger of AFC Group Ltd all of whom talked on both the FTA upgrade and opportunities in the Greater Bay Area. And to conclude the audience viewed a Video Introduction of the Guangdong Commodity Exhibition Centre in Auckland and heard from Mr Wang Jiazheng, President of Canton Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand and and Ally Zhang Founder and Director of SkyKiwi.com on an online trading platform established by the Canton Chamber and Skykiwi.com