US trade meeting planned
DominionPost, Wellington
US trade meeting planned
17 January 2006
By Sue Allen
Business leaders have been invited to a top-level meeting which could help push New Zealand’s case for a free trade deal with the United States.
The meeting is being organised by the New Zealand United States Council and is scheduled to take place in Washington in April.
Council chief executive Stephen Jacobi said about 25 chief executives and academics had been invited to the meeting with their US counterparts.
The New Zealand chief executives run companies in the dairy, meat, wine, seafood and service industries, including Air New Zealand.
Mr Jacobi leaves for the US next week to promote the meeting. He will also meet officials from the State Department, the US Trade Representatives Office and Congress to promote closer links between the two countries.
He said the April meeting would focus on doing business in the Asia Pacific region, the impact of security on business and the outlook for multilateral trade talks.
Two-way trade between New Zealand and the US is valued at more than $8 billion.
The US is New Zealand’s second largest export market overall and the largest export market for dairy products, beef and seafood.
It is also among the top five markets for New Zealand sheepmeat, forest products, fruit and vegetables.
