Forum to boost Waikato’s trade opportunities with India

16 November 2012

Business forum to boost Waikato’s trade opportunities with India

Dairy, IT, tourism, commerce and agribusiness are all on the agenda for the Hamilton-based India-New Zealand Business Forum, the first of what Waikato University hopes will become an annual event.

The India-New Zealand Business Forum, to be held in the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts on 28 November, will bring Waikato and Indian business people together, as well as New Zealand academics and government officials, to discuss and explore further trade opportunities with the rising economic powerhouse.

India is becoming an increasingly important trade partner to New Zealand, currently its ninth largest export market and making up over $850m in exports in the year ending August.

The forum is the being organised by the Waikato Management School. Professor Frank Scrimgeour, Dean of the School, and Associate Professor Asad Mohsin, Convenor of the Forum, say the event will stimulate thinking and improve business practice between New Zealand and India with a focus on investment and trading relationships.

Dr Mohsin says there are clear opportunities to increase business relationships with India, especially in his personal area of interest, tourism. “Like China, India has an emerging middle class who are showing an increasing interest in international travel. New Zealand is in a good position to capture a lot of this interest.”

Likewise the Waikato’s strong links with the agricultural industry, in particular dairy, could have a significant impact on relations with India. Dr Mohsin says building and maintaining these international relationships is the key to a successful trade progression, something this forum aims to achieve.

Speakers at the forum include H.E. Avanindra Kumar Pandey the High Commissioner of India to New Zealand, Ashok Kumar Pavadia from the Indian Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprise, Cliff Fuller from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), Todd Muller from Fonterra, and Prashanta Mukherjee from the India-New Zealand Business Council, who are also supporting the event.

The University is planning to continue the forum on an annual basis, with plans to be in Delhi next year, Hamilton in 2014 and in Mumbai in 2015.

For more information, or to register to attend the forum, visit www.management.ac.nz/india-nz-forum

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