New Zealand Taiwan Conference

New Zealand entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to wet the taste buds of Taiwanese leaders this month at the New Zealand-Taiwan Business Council and the ROC-NZ 15th Annual Joint Conference.

Around 40 Taiwanese CEOs and senior managers will be coming to New Zealand to attend the forum, which has been developed to promote trade and investment between New Zealand and Taiwan.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Innovative Business Relationships”. Topics to be covered include the New Zealand Taiwan trade environment, investment and venture capital, education supporting business, global free trade, and food tech. Investment ready companies will be selected to present their products and services to the conference delegates. There will also be a table-top expo where NZ attendees will be given the opportunity to profile their companies.

“As with exporting to Taiwan, getting Taiwanese investment requires established personal relationships through ongoing commitment on both sides. The opportunity to network and form these business relationships presents itself at the Joint Conference,” says Bertha Wright, Chairperson for the New Zealand Taiwan Business Council.

“It’s the only conference of this calibre for New Zealand and Taiwan business people. This is reflected in the standard of sponsors it has attracted which include Dorchester Pacific, NZ Cosmetic Laboratories, Zespri, and the North Shore City Council,”.

The conference has also attracted a variety of high profile speakers including former New Zealand Prime Minister Jim Bolger, Minister of Economic Affairs for Taiwan His Excellency Lin Yi-Fu, and the Hon Jim Sutton Minister of Agriculture for trade negotiations, biosecurity, and rural affairs.

Organisations such as TBANZ (Taiwanese Business Association New Zealand) and TINZA (Taiwanese in New Zealand Association) have acknowledged their support for the conference and will be participating along with major New Zealand companies such as Zespri, all with the aim to strengthen New Zealand’s relationship with Taiwan.

“The forums have already played a large part in developing a strong relationship between NZ and Taiwan. Recent analysis shows that during 2001 imports from the US declined by 27%, whereas imports from New Zealand increased by 3.6%,” says Irvine Paulin, Director of the Trade Development Unit at the NZ Commerce and Industry Office in Taipei.

The latest quarterly Business Environment Rankings from the Economist Intelligence Unit shows Taiwan will be a “very good” place to do business with over the next five years with anticipated improvements in infrastructure, freeing restrictions on capital flows, and the lowering of tariffs under WTO.

The Taiwan Business Council Joint Conference is being held at the Spencer on Byron Hotel in Takapuna and will run from 28-30 August. For more information on the conference contact Hannah Bougen on 309 6100 or email hbougen@chamber.co.nz

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