Treasurer Tim Pallas and Minister for Agriculture and Regional Development Jaala Pulford have travelled to New Zealand to promote investment opportunities in Victoria and build on existing relationships with our closest international neighbour.
Mr Pallas and Ms Pulford have met with representatives from business, government and industry to further promote the relationship between Victoria and New Zealand, as well as discussing policy reform and areas of common interest, with a particular focus on the dairy industry,.
The Treasurer met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bill English and the New Zealand Productivity Commission. Minister Pulford also had discussions on development of Asian markets and animal welfare and research and development partnerships.
New Zealand is a significant trading partner, with Victoria exporting almost $2 billion in goods to New Zealand in 2014-15.
This included $87 million in cereals (mainly wheat), $130 million in food products, $212 million in road vehicles, $115 million in petroleum and related products, $221 million in chemicals and related products, as well as $222 million in manufactured goods.
Victorians imported goods worth $2.7 billion for the same period. Major imports included dairy ($338 million), vegetables and fruit ($149 million) food products ($148 million), beverages ($128 million), petroleum and related products ($410 million) as well as $148 million in manufactured goods.
Tourism is also an important source of trade between New Zealand and Australia. There were an estimated 312,600 New Zealand overnight visitors to Victoria in 2014-15, an 8.9% increase over the previous year.
New Zealand visitors spent an estimated 3.2 million visitor nights in Victoria in 2014-15, an 18.7% increase compared to the previous year.
The Labor Government is taking the initiative and going abroad to key growth markets, to attract more international buyers and investors.
The Government has a full trade agenda that will provide more opportunities for local producers to access international markets. Already this year we’ve hosted two major inbound trade missions, the Victoria Invitation Program and Meet the Winemaker, which resulted in increased export sales for many Victorian companies.
Quotes attributable to Treasurer Tim Pallas
“Victoria has strong economic and cultural ties with New Zealand, and this visit is a great opportunity to build on this relationship and showcase the opportunities we have to assist one another.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Agriculture and Regional Development Jaala Pulford
“Our dairy industry is the jewel of Victoria’s agricultural crown and a key contributor to our economic growth and prosperity. This visit will allow us to learn first-hand about New Zealand dairy, share knowledge and further strengthen ties between our two sectors.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020