In this episode of Looking South, Eric Gau chats with Director Moira Turley of the New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office about trade relations between New Zealand and Taiwan under the New Southbound Policy.
Transcript:
Eric Gau: Good morning, and welcome to Looking South, here on ICRT, our exclusive look at the central government’s New Southbound Policy, and its effects. I’m Eric Gau, and today I am joined by Moira Turley, director of the New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office, to talk about how the policy has affected ties with her country. Director Turley, welcome to the program!
Moira Turley: Kia ora!
Eric: Director Turley, let us know what the trade situation like between New Zealand and Taiwan before the implementation of the New Southbound Policy two years ago?
Moira: You might be aware that, in 2013, New Zealand and Taiwan signed an economic cooperation agreement, ANZTEC. The growth in trade since then has actually been phenomenal. In New Zealand dollar terms, we’ve seen over 30 percent growth in New Zealand exports to Taiwan, and you’ve also seen about a 27% growth in Taiwanese exports to New Zealand, so there’s been a massive increase in the amount of trade between us.
Eric: That was with the trade deal. But with the implementation of the New Southbound Policy itself, what policies or measures has the Taiwan government put in place to increase business ties even further?
Moira: I think the main thing for me has been around the implementation of the ANZTEC. What you need to understand about the trade agreement is that it provides a really comprehensive infrastructure for the connections between our two markets. A lot of the growth in trade is really about the solid work that Taiwanese officials and New Zealanders have put in to ensuring that that framework continues to grow the trade and economic relationship.
Eric: Do you have any examples of any specific businesses or industries that have benefited from the trade deal?
Moira: Of course. At the Taiwan end, you’ll all be aware of the prominence of New Zealand food and beverage, like our Zespri kiwi-fruit. But at the New Zealand end, what you’ll see is a lot of Taiwanese products like bicycles, manufactured goods, steel, all those things that Taiwan is good at making. Now you now have preferential tariff access into New Zealand’s market on some of those goods, and the growth in trade on your side has happened a result of that.
Eric: We were talking about good just now. What about investment? Has there been an increase in bilateral investment in the other country because of this?
Moira: I think that’s a really good question. I think that’s one area where we’ve still got some more work to do on. A little bit of that is building profile in each other’s markets. You might be aware that Air New Zealand will resume its direct flights to Taipei, Auckland-Taipei, and I think that will be very important to building people-to-people connections, and the business partnerships that investment flows from.
Eric: Speaking of people-to-people connections, how has the deal, or the New Southbound Policy, has this increased ties in a non-business fashion? In education, culture, things like that?
Moira: There’s an incredibly vibrant cultural relationship between Taiwan and New Zealand. When you’re talking positively about us, as happens through the New Southbound Policy that emphasizes that connection, what we’re finding is that a lot of New Zealand cultural actors come up to Taiwan and find a very ready market here. And that’s been supported by elements of the economic cooperation agreement, again like the indigenous cooperation that happens under Chapter 19 of the agreement.
Eric: You were mentioning actors. What about education ties? I believe Taiwan and New Zealand have a working holiday program agreement?
Moira: Yes we do. It’s very popular with Taiwanese people. When we advertise it each year, it pretty much fills up immediately.
Eric: So even with the New Southbound Policy, it’s not really going to help that much because it’s already full.
Moira: The working holiday scheme, yes. But one thing we will be doing is looking to grow even further the interest of Taiwanese people visiting New Zealand. New Zealand has a visa waiver program for Taiwan people, so if you’re just coming down to New Zealand for business or for tourism purposes, you don’t need to get a visa to enter New Zealand, which makes it really easy for Taiwanese to travel there.
Eric: Are there are specific tourism sites that you find are of particular interest to Taiwan travelers heading to New Zealand?
Moira: That’s a really good question. I think Taiwanese people are interested in adventure tourism. I think you are adventurous, am I right?
Eric: I personally am not, but many of my friends are!
Moira: I think what we’re finding is that Taiwanese visitors to New Zealand are going there for our scenery. People know about the mountains in the South Island and Queenstown, they also know a little bit about some of our volcanic landscapes, the geothermal sites, such as Rotorua in the center of North Island. But we’ve got some beautiful beaches and walking tracks for instance around the top of the South Island, and along the west coast of the South Island. And we’ve also got lots of really interesting bike trails and fun things to do like bungee jumping, which is where you tie a cord to your ankle and jump off a high point, and bounce back.
Eric: Hopefully bounce back!
Moira: Always bounce back! We’re very safety conscious.
Eric: Back on track here. Is there anything you would like to see the government here in Taiwan do to further improve trade relations as it continues to implement the New Southbound Policy in the future?
Moira: I think it’s really important for me that you continue to be a fantastic implementing partner under the economic cooperation agreement. It always seems easy to get the quick win from signing these sort of things, but a lot of hard work goes into its implementation. So far we have found Taiwan to be a really great partner, and we want that continue. Also, I’m really keen to see lots of promotion of Taiwan as a destination to New Zealanders when we have direct flights in place. We’ve had growth of over 100 percent in terms of Taiwanese people visiting New Zealand, and it would be great to see just as much in terms of New Zealanders visiting Taiwan.
Eric: Do you have any last thoughts you’d like to share with our listeners before we wrap up here?
Moira: Well, really, I think there’s a huge range of things that Taiwan and New Zealand can do together. We have a solid connection based on us selling you lots of fantastic food and beverage products, and you selling us fantastic mechanical products and bicycles. But there are lots of new areas we can cooperate, and I’m thinking of things like green energy, Taiwan’s goals for renewable energy where we’ve got expertise in geothermal production to give to you. But also, people visiting each other more often and taking advantage of direct flights.
Eric: We’ve been chatting with NZCIO director Moira Turley, about the New Southbound Policy’s effects on trade ties with New Zealand. Director Turley, thank you for joining us on the air today!
Moira: Thank you!
Eric: And that wraps up Looking South, here on ICRT. I’m Eric Gau, and thank you for tuning in.