Prime Minister

LATIN STRATEGY TO PROMOTE HIGH TECH NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand's burgeoning relationship with South America will take another step forward when Research, Science and Technology Minister Maurice Williamson leads a high-tech delegation to the region, Prime Minister Jenny Shipley said today.

The delegation, which includes experts in gene technologies, agriculture, forestry, food processing and telecommunications, is to visit Chile, Argentina and Brazil from 7-19 October.

Mrs Shipley said Mr Williamson's visit would demonstrate New Zealand's world-class skills in high-value product development, and would promote the country as an innovative, high-tech partner.

The Prime Minister said further visits to South America were planned over the next year as part of a strategy to develop deeper trade, investment, tourism, technology and educational linkages with the region's growth markets.

"Chile is already our No 2 outward investment destination and is currently our largest market in the region for sophisticated added-value manufactures," Mrs Shipley said.

"These successes are now spilling over into Argentina and Brazil, where there are also increasing opportunities for promoting tourism and sales of educational services."

The Prime Minister noted that personal contacts in business and in government were important to success in Latin American cultures. She said the Ministers of Tourism, Education, International Trade and of Enterprise and Commerce were all expected to cross the Pacific in the next 12 months, following on from Foreign Minister Don McKinnon's successful five-nation visit in May.

"New Zealand's connections with our neighbours in South America are developing rapidly. We have shared interests in the Cairns Group of agricultural exporters, the management of the environment and Antarctica," Mrs Shipley said.

"These Ministerial visits will help us to build personal contacts and cooperation at government level as we also diversify our trading strategies.

"We've had State Visits by President Menem of Argentina and President Fujimori of Peru this year; Foreign Minister Don McKinnon was warmly welcomed in the region and the establishment of seven Latin American Embassies here has been mirrored by New Zealand opening an Embassy in Buenos Aires, accredited to the member states of the Mercosur Customs Union".

Mr Williamson, who is also Minister of Transport, will sign an 'open skies' air services agreement recently concluded with Chile. He will attend the APEC Science and Technology Ministers meeting in Mexico from 21-23 October, where he will meet his counterparts from Peru and Mexico.

ENDS