17 November 2008

US NZ Partnership Forum To Be Held 6-8 October 2009

The third US NZ Partnership Forum will be held in Washington DC 6-8 October 2009, the two counterpart organizations US NZ Council and NZ US Council said today.

“The 2009 Forum will be an extraordinary opportunity for NZ Inc to engage with the incoming Administration and Congress”, said NZ US Council Executive Director Stephen Jacobi.

“We need to take the strongest possible team to Washington to support the negotiation of the free trade agreement which gets underway early next year”.

US NZ Council President John Mullen, who is visiting New Zealand this week, said the Forum would build on the success of the previous two events in Washington (April 2006) and Auckland (September 2007).

“The Partnership Forum has been instrumental in taking the US NZ relationship to a new level. Not only are we friends and allies once again, we are also starting to negotiate an FTA in the context of the Trans Pacific Partnership.

“I expect our discussions next year to focus on trade, security and sustainability as well as the stage we will have reached with responding to the financial crisis”.

Mr Jacobi said participation in the invitation only event would be extended by the two Councils and would comprise corporate members of both Councils, politicians and senior officials and civil society representatives.

Mr Mullen said that while all countries will be focusing considerable attention to developing dialogue with the Obama Administration and the new Congress, October would be a good time for New Zealand to make a powerful statement about the country’s interest in a new partnership in the context of the Trans Pacific negotiations.

About the NZUS Council – www.nzuscouncil.com

The NZ US Council is a non partisan body funded by both business and the Government to promote New Zealand’s broader relationship with the US. Two way trade with the US is valued at over $8 billion and the US is a leading source of investment, innovation and business ideas. In September 2008 the US announced it would negotiate with New Zealand, Chile, Singapore and Brunei to join the Trans Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership. The first round of negotiations will be held in March 2009.

About the US-NZ Council – www.usnzcouncil.org

The US-NZ Council is a private non-profit organization founded in 1986 and headquartered in Washington DC. Its mission is to foster and strengthen United States-New Zealand relations through enhanced communications, encouraging the expansion of trade and commercial ties, and facilitating cultural exchanges between the two countries. The Council works closely with the US business community with interests in New Zealand, and maintains close contacts with officials of both governments and New Zealand’s Washington Embassy.

ENDS

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