Trade mission forges UAE and New Zealand ties

Organised by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), the visit involved ten companies representing a cross section of industries including IT and education consulting, business continuity services, health systems and government reform.

Commenting on the trade mission, Wayne Mikkelsen, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise's Trade Commissioner to the Middle East said it further emphasised a deepening of New Zealand's trade relationship with the United Arab Emirates.

Mikkelsen added:

"New Zealand has developed strong expertise in public sector reform, especially in health and education. These are areas in which the United Arab Emirates is investing heavily in order to build the foundations of a strong knowledge based economy. We are pleased that this visit has helped strengthen existing relationships, while opening new opportunities for future collaboration with our companies."

"As a nation, New Zealanders are resourceful and innovative, with a fresh approach to problem solving. New Zealand companies employ a collaborative style, working with clients to ensure the solution is tailored to their needs," Mikkelsen stated.

In 2008, bilateral trade between New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates totaled close to $800m. With Free Trade Agreement negotiations underway between New Zealand and the GCC states, the prospect is for commercial interests to come even closer together.

The companies met with senior officials from Dubai Tourism and Commercial Marketing (DTCM), Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), Dubai Financial Centre (DFC) and Department of Economic Development (DED).

Synergia, one of the visiting professional services companies, said it hopes to impart its knowledge of working with governments to prevent diseases like diabetes and obesity.

Paul Stephenson, Director of Synergia, said, "This region is similar to New Zealand in that it faces a growing challenge in combating the prevalence of lifestyle diseases. We have worked with public sector organisations in New Zealand and other countries to develop awareness programmes aimed at changing bad lifestyle habits that lead to obesity and its common companions - diabetes and heart disease."

The delegation also included plan B, Australasia's largest business continuity services company.

Dean McCarthy, Senior Advisor for plan B, said, "Dubai has transformed itself into a business and investment destination and to further develop its various economic sectors it is important to take measures to ensure the continuity of services it offers. There is great scope for continuity services in the region and we look forward to working with more companies and organisations here."

PINZ, a New Zealand-based social sector development agency, specialising in education, human resource development and capacity building, also participated. The agency has recently opened a new polytechnic in Bahrain and is in the process of establishing a training institute for women in Saudi Arabia.

Other visiting professional services companies in the group were CBA Consulting, a company with a strong track record of trade development work that helps governments achieve their social and economic goals; Cognition Consulting, experts in education reform; Educating Global, a world leader in road safety education; Eklektus Inc, focused on creating visitor experiences having worked with museums and exhibitions; and GNS Science, a research institute specializing in earth science technology.

After the United Arab Emirates, the delegation will visit Qatar to explore opportunities for partnerships with the country's government and private sectors.