PNG to hold trade investment roadshow in NZ

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, December 4, 2016 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

LOCAL businesses and industries will take part in a planned trade investment roadshow in February next year.

The roadshow was agreed upon during the APEC Meet in Peru, when PNG Trade Minister Richard Maru met with New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay.

“We have now agreed between himself and me that by February in the third week of February PNG will send down a Trade and Investment delegation to New Zealand for a trade investment roadshow.” Minister Maru said.

“That could take a day where all our companies, our fisheries sector, our tourism sector, our mining and petroleum sector, energy sector- all of us will go and market opportunities in Papua New Guinea and also work with them to bring some new Zealand investors to invest in our country.”

“We are also keen on securing visa on arrival for our people going to New Zealand and also vice versa those New Zealand businesses and citizens.”

Minister Maru also indicated that apart from the investment roadshow, the delegation will also organize educational tours for some industry players in the country to study New Zealand industries and also meet state regulatory bodies of industries.

“For example TPA (Tourism Promotion Authority) will meet with its sister organization in New Zealand, NFA to meet with its sister organization, poultry association of Papua New Guinea has been in contact with me they want to go and look at biosecurity and also they want to go and have a relationship with the Poultry Association of New Zealand.”

“NZ has the highest chicken biosecurity standard in the world because they are a chicken disease free country and we are keen to understand and get technical support from New Zealand to establish our biosecurity standard for chicken.”

“So that we can protect the industry- at the moment PNG is a chicken disease free country, and NZ same standards.”

He said Australia has had problems with many diseases and many other countries within the region.

“We keen on getting our association engaged with New Zealand, getting NQIA (National Quarantine Inspection Authority) with their sister association in New Zealand so that we can have the technical training – we can get scientist to go and study and start building the relationship.”