IANZ Tightens Ties With Taiwan
Getting Kiwi products in front of Taiwanese consumers will be easier in future, thanks to a new arrangement just
finalised by International Accreditation NZ (IANZ).
Chief executive of IANZ Dr Llew Richards says the high-level agreement was signed in Taipei on Friday, 5 December,
paving the way for increased exports in both directions.
Taiwan is New Zealand’s 10th largest overseas market, with more than $883 million worth of goods exported to the nation
of 23 million in 2013. (Source: Statistics NZ)
“New Zealand exports a lot of agricultural commodities to Taiwan and they export a lot of electrical goods here. To make
that trade easier, we need to ensure regulators in both countries understand each other’s accreditation systems. That’s
what this new arrangement is all about,” says Dr Richards.
“We already have a Mutual Recognition Agreement with Taiwan from 1997 which means we accept accreditation reports from
them and vice versa. However, this latest signing goes much deeper than that and will bring increased benefits to the
two countries.”
Dr Richards says the aim is to engage more with regulators and work closely with them to take advantage of the
significant economic benefits accreditation brings to New Zealand and Taiwanese trade.
“Using cross-country accreditation provides cost-effective solutions for regulators. It means more robust systems for
checking goods and it minimises liability for all parties.”
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