In the News

Japan New Zealand Partnership Forum - Concluding statement from the co-chairs
Mr Yoshihiko Miyauchi (Japan), Hon Philp Burdon (New Zealand)
Tokyo, 15 May 2008

We have just concluded the first ever Japan New Zealand Partnership Forum which brought together in Tokyo at the International House of Japan 93 government, business and community leaders from both Japan and New Zealand.  Discussion at the Forum focused on the key strategic issues facing business in both countries and ways in which the economic and business relationship between us can be further strengthened.
 
The Partnership Forum was honoured to be addressed by high level representatives from both countries - Rt Hon Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand and Mr Osamu Uno, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs on behalf of His Excellency Mr Yasuo Fukuda, Prime Minister of Japan.
 
This gathering of Japanese and New Zealand leaders, one of the largest ever held, took place as we celebrate 50 years since the signing of the New Zealand Japan Agreement on Commerce.  This milestone recalls for us that ours is a long-standing and multi-faceted relationship underpinned by shared values, positive trade and investment flows and extensive people to people links.  In the course of the Forum we were able to consider the complementarities between our two economies, our strong connections in the Asia Pacific region and respective strengths in innovation and entrepreneurship which drive the search for new ways of doing business in the region and beyond.  We believe there is a sound basis for expanding our economic partnership and for growing our trade and investment relationship even further.
 
Our meeting opened by considering the pace of change in the Asia Pacific region and how our two countries, situated at opposite ends of the Pacific, view these changing regional dynamics.  East Asia is a driver of global economic activity and we considered the outlook for economic growth, financial markets and the necessity for a new regional architecture to promote increased trade and investment.  It was noted that New Zealand and Japan are both active supporters of APEC and the East Asia Summit and that these processes, and other regional fora, deliver a range of benefits to both countries.   Strengthened bilateral ties should also be sought as a means of contributing to these regional endeavours.
 
In that respect, the Forum welcomed the decision of the Prime Ministers of Japan and New Zealand to study the possibility of an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which offered the possibility of further strengthening economic and other ties between Japan and New Zealand.
 
Support was expressed for the Japanese initiative to create a Comprehensive Economic Partnership in East Asia as well as for closer trade and economic ties between Japan and New Zealand.  Our discussion revealed that Japan and New Zealand share similar perspectives and common interests and that change in the region gives rise to new opportunities for co-operation. We are convinced that Japan and New Zealand can work together to promote increased regional growth and integration.  There are synergies that can be exploited to create new value for enterprises in both countries.
 
Innovation is the means by which business can respond to change by applying human intellect, technology and capital to product and business development.  Our meeting looked at some examples of innovative business development between our two countries.  It highlighted several examples of the two countries "going global together".  In the fishing industry Nippon Suisan Kaisha and Sealord have adopted a business model which has captured synergies in global operations and created new value for both partners.  In the horticultural sector Zespri is successfully applying advanced technologies to grow new varieties of kiwifruit in Japan which promote diversification and deliver value to Japanese growers. It was evident that while the drivers of innovation are different in each country it is possible to create "innovation bridges" between the two: an important role for government and business working together is to make Japanese industry more aware of New Zealand capabilities and to encourage New Zealanders to think of Japan as a business partner.  Our lunchtime speaker, John Kirwan, also reminded us that many of these same principles apply in the field of professional sports. 
 
Our meeting also focused on the critical issues of sustainability and climate change.   It is clear that there is high awareness of these issues on the part of consumers, business and governments in both countries and beyond.  For business, for example, it is becoming increasingly important to be able to satisfy customers that action is being taken to manage and reduce carbon footprints associated with the production of goods and services.  Equally, concerns about supply chain security and management, and food safety, are of increasing importance to our export sectors, and these are all areas where Japan and New Zealand have a strong base from which to develop new markets.  
 
Our meeting highlighted ways in which leading companies in both countries are responding to the challenge of sustainability:  Toyota in respect of environmentally friendly motor vehicles, Sumitomo Forestry in respect of sustainable wood products and Air New Zealand in respect of lower-emissions air travel.  New business opportunities can arise from these common challenges in both manufacturing and resource-based industries as new technologies are developed and new policies adopted.  We believe the capacity of both countries to work with each other in the field of climate change and sustainability should be kept at the forefront of future co-operation in business, science and policy development.
 
This first Partnership Forum marks a new step forward in the relationship between Japan and New Zealand.  We congratulate the New Zealand International Business Forum and its partners in New Zealand and Japan, including the Japan New Zealand Business Council, Nippon Keidanren, the Japan Chamber of Commerce and the New Zealand Embassy in Tokyo, for their support.  We extend our sincere thanks to the event sponsors.  We recommend that we re-assemble within 18 months time to resume our dialogue and that in the interim the organisers and participants in this first Forum should maintain engagement with a view to continuing to strengthen the relationship between two long-standing friends and partners.