9 June 2011

Media release
Dr The Rt Hon Lockwood Smith, Speaker of the House

Speakers’ delegation visit boosts NZ – Latin America ties

New Zealand’s political and economic ties with Latin America gained a valuable boost from the recent visit to the continent by a Parliamentary delegation, The Speaker, Dr The Rt Hon Lockwood Smith, said today.

“The delegation members met with political and business leaders in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile, reinforcing existing links and creating new ties with New Zealand.

“Our intense programme, put together by New Zealand diplomats in the region, was designed to utilise the presence of our delegation in ways that would add real value to New Zealand’s relationship with these countries.

“In Brazil, we had high-level meetings with Congressional leaders, including two former Presidents. I spoke to a well-attended function promoting New Zealand education – Brazil is our ninth-largest market for foreign students. We also met businesspeople in Sao Paulo.

Our wide-ranging discussions reinforced the importance of regular two-way visits to realise the very significant potential for increased investment and other cooperation between our countries.

“Our visits to Argentina and Uruguay focused on agricultural cooperation in particular. Among those we met were the Argentine Agriculture Minister and the President of Uruguay – he expressed strong interest in training opportunities in New Zealand for young Uruguayan farmers. We also spoke at seminars on New Zealand’s reforms over recent decades. There was positive coverage of our activities, along with the Rugby World Cup, in major newspapers in both countries.

“Parliamentary links were strengthened with Chile, where I addressed members of that country’s Chamber of Deputies (the equivalent of our Parliament), and I was presented with the Decoration of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile. We met with the Foreign and Agriculture Ministers, and we also had useful meetings with contacts in agriculture, education and innovation, environment and energy.

“It was clear to us that the “P4” Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, which includes Chile and New Zealand, provides a framework giving confidence to New Zealand business investors in Chile. There is strong awareness in Latin America of the potential that Asia holds, and New Zealand can be a strategic partner for them in that regard. Our discussions covered New Zealand interest in a free trade agreement with MERCOSUR, the South American trading bloc that includes Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.

“Latin America is emerging as a fast-growing region with great potential for New Zealand. I am confident that our visit provided valuable impetus to our relationships there,” Dr Smith said.

The delegation, led by Dr Smith, included Health Committee Chair Dr Paul Hutchison (National), Opposition Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Hon Maryan Street (Labour) and Associate Spokesperson for Trade Stuart Nash (Labour). The 10-day visit ran from 23 May – 2 June.

ENDS

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