Businesses going global

Grant Caunter knows a fair bit about beer. He’s spent most of his life working in the industry, and for the past four years has been based in Amsterdam working as the Global Director of Craft & Specialty beer for Heineken. When Grant’s contract came to an end in 2021 the family contemplated their next move and ultimately decided to return to New Zealand.

“We had had more than a year of fairly strict lockdowns in Amsterdam and that time at home gave us time to assess our careers, our lifestyle and our state of play. With change comes opportunity, so it was a good time to return to New Zealand and kick off some new goals.”

Grant and his family returned to Kiwi soil in August, and after surviving MIQ they were looking forward to enjoying some freedoms, but unfortunately that didn’t last long with New Zealand going into lockdown just five days later. For Grant, his wife and two teenage children, it was a bit like going back in time.

“I think the most confronting thing about coming home and entering the lockdown was that we felt like we had already lived through this time in Amsterdam eighteen months earlier. We had experienced the full pandemic cycle already and talking about our experiences fell flat here as living with covid was not a subject people wanted to discuss. When we left Europe people were really starting to move on, there was a real buzz, a real growth mindset and people were moving forward again and living with Covid. Then we came back here and it was like we had gone back in time.”

Grant and his family back on Kiwi soil

The lockdown gave Grant time to think about what was next for him and his family and the one thing he knew for certain was that he wanted to live and work differently.

“I went to Amsterdam to take on the role as the Global Director of Craft for Heineken, it was a four year assignment to set up the global program for Heineken’s fastest growing category. Craft and specialty beer is sold in 108 Heineken markets and I led the team to learn, share and reapply what we knew quickly. It was a real buzz working with each market to prepare them to move through the growth stages of a successful craft portfolio. I loved the role and the amazing connections I made and the experiences I had, but that last year was quite different and I had definitely had enough of online calls and powerpoint slides during lockdown.”

Grant says he enjoys the conversations about change, trends, and the shifting consumer behaviour across multiple markets, and having been part of the growth in Europe post lockdown he hopes his experience can help businesses here reconnect to the world.

“I decided to start my own business consultancy called State of Play. It’s a bit like doing a warrant of fitness on a business. The past two years everyone has been head down keeping the business alive – now is the perfect time to stop and do a check. I also joined up with NZTE to become a beachhead advisor as another way to help businesses.”

With a couple of projects on the go there was still one thing that was bugging Grant and his wife Nicky.

“Nicky and I both gave up drinking alcohol during the pandemic. In Europe it’s so easy to get a good tasting hoppy beer that’s alcohol free. It wasn’t until we moved back to New Zealand that we realised how little choice there was in the zero alcohol beer section, aside from the big brand lagers. So I decided to make my own.”

Sharing a name with his consultancy company, Grant launched State of Play – the nation’s first and only 100% zero alcohol brewery. The first beer is a naturally brewed zero alcohol IPA, and it will go on sale this month. Grant says the beer is made with NZ hops and Canterbury malt and most importantly is full of flavour.

Grant is launching NZ’s first alcohol free brewery

“I gave up drinking alcohol, but I still love beer, I still love hops, so I am aiming for flavour above all else. The zero alcohol market is one of the fastest growing areas of the beer industry. After all, a lot of people want to be able to enjoy a few beers and still be able to go about their day. If you are out for a late lunch or you’ve had a game of golf you don’t want to necessarily have two or three 6% beers because maybe you have to go back to work, or you have to drive home. In Europe beer is just beer, the alcohol content does not matter, people just had a beer. I am hoping I can help create that same attitude here. I don’t expect everyone to go sober but maybe you have a few zero alcohol beers during the week and then some with alcohol at the weekend, it’s about giving people options.”

Options are certainly something Grant himself has plenty of. He already has plans to expand his craft beer range and with borders reopening he is hoping to use his experience of offshore markets to help more Kiwi businesses. He says his time offshore has made him realise the many opportunities Aotearoa has to be world class.

“New Zealand has so much to offer and New Zealand brands and people have such a great reputation overseas. The world has been starved of Kiwi banter for too long so I really hope we can come out of the blocks swinging.”

Rosie Bosworth has always been passionate about food, growing up she says she spent more hours in the kitchen than anywhere else in the house. She is also passionate about science and sustainability, so when she discovered research into alternative proteins during a stint studying in Holland, she realised she had found the perfect way to combine her passions.

Rosie at home in the Kitchen

“I became really focused on alternative proteins and options like vertical farming systems and other ways food can be grown. I got onto a trajectory of how tech and innovation can change the paradigm of sustainability, and I was lucky enough to follow that passion and have since worked for several future food companies in the United States, and am currently working for a think tank in NZ which is looking at the future of food.

Rosie says the biggest challenges New Zealand faces is the country’s reliance on agriculture and the ability to communicate how fast changes around food production are taking place.

“The challenge is how do we position our food production system in the future so that as new future foods and alternative proteins become increasingly more mainstream, we create a more resilient food sector in New Zealand and ensure existing sectors don’t take a significant downfall or become overshadowed by these new technologies. The other challenge is getting that message across in a really urgent way. New Zealand is quite laid back and we have been a bit cut off for a few years, and we don’t really see the pace of changes that’s happening elsewhere and because of that we are not moving at the pace we need to to keep up. There is this belief here that there will always be a strong demand for meat and traditional animal products on the global market and the psyche around this sort of thinking can create a problem when it comes to moving forward and developing complementary offerings for NZ.

One business which is moving forward to embrace the alternate based food production industry is Angel Foods. Founder and CEO Alice Shopland adopted a vegan lifestyle in 2004 and several years later her and husband Colin Woods developed their own vegan cheese recipes. Last year Angel Foods produced over 150 tonnes of vegan cheese which can be found in mainstream supermarkets and pizza chains around New Zealand.

Alice says Angel Food customers aren’t just vegans but also those who are dairy intolerant, on plant-based diets and even those who continue to eat animal products but want to cut back. She credits an awareness around environmental impacts of dairying as having a big effect on markets.

“That awareness of how dairying was contributing to our water quality and the swimmable rivers campaign created a big shift. Before that it was hard to get people to understand why you would be making a dairy-free version of dairy cheese. There was also the point where one of the major petrol stations added a vegan pie to their regular offering and in that same year you could get vegan ice creams which was amazing to see.”

Another player in the Sustainable food space is Jade Gray. Jade’s family are 4th generation grocers and he has worked on various farms and at a variety of food and beverage businesses across China. In 2003 he launched his own F&B business in China and later launched the country’s first B Corp certified pizza chain in Beijing. Since moving home Jade has launched Off Piste a company which creates plant based meats using pea protein. The business goal is to replicatice, mimic and ultimately supersede the nutritional value of red meat.

Jade Gray

Off-Piste has teamed up with Massey University and also the Callaghan institute to increase their R&D. Jade says his company isn’t aimed at vegans, but rather at people who want to reduce meat in their diet. He says one of the problems plaguing the industry is this idea that it’s one or the other.

“The biggest myth I think, is the myth that there is a massive vegan movement happening, this is not the case. There is in fact a huge flexitarian movement happening. The changes are seeing are not going to move the dial to people abstaining from animal products, rather we will see a big movement of people reducing animal products. There is this myth that it is one or the other, this isn’t true. Alternate proteins won’t knock out meat, they will both exist together.”

Last year $4.9 billion was invested last year in alternate proteins and while that may sound small it’s three times the amount of the last three years combined. Jade says New Zealand’s extensive understanding of genetics and breeding should be seen as a real asset to position the country as a world leader.

Off-Piste creates plant based alternatives such as jerky

“New Zealand has been a leader in genetics and breeding of animals and plants for decades and all this knowledge can be used as we look to increase plant based alternatives and in particular cellular meats. We also have an abundant amount of resources, some of which are really unique which we could put into alternate proteins, but currently it would be fair to say we are not leveraging those as much as we could.

Rosie agrees it is time for New Zealand to step up and says the country’s food producing heritage will stand us in good stead.

“New Zealanders are exceptional food producers and we have managed to change food production systems in the past and we can certainly shift again. I think the fact that we do have a number of open and entrepreneurial farmers out there is a great start. We need to look at the premiumisation of products and create a shift towards products which are regenerative. We have such a rich diverse country here where we can grow many things and grow them well, we are really only just scratching the surface of what we can achieve.”

Katie Sadleir’s whole life has revolved around sport, it’s not so much a job but part of who she is. She took up synchronised swimming at age eight, and after moving to New Zealand in her teens, she went on to represent Aotearoa in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh where she won a bronze medal.

After she retired from synchronised swimming in her early 20’s, Katie became involved in the governance and leadership side of sport, taking up a board position with the New Zealand Swimming Federation. She was not only the youngest member of the board but also the only woman.

Katie Sadleir, Commonwealth Games CEO

“Taking that board position was definitely challenging. As an athlete I had been more or less immune to gender bias because I was competing in a traditionally female sport and also I was so focused on my own training and competitions. When I took the role on the board I was suddenly very conscious of the fact that my approach to leadership was very different, both because of my age and my gender. I do remember feeling that I was probably a bit more in touch with some of the people I was there to govern, after all I was the only woman on the board but I represented around 50% of the population.”

For former Football Ferns captain Bex Smith, her first realisation of gender bias within sport came around the time she signed her first professional contract. Growing up between New Zealand and the US, Bex had always played football and never thought of it as a sport for one particular gender, however when she moved to Europe she realised that wasn’t the case everywhere.

“When I moved to Germany to play my first professional contract, I found out they had two different names for football, fussball or football which was the men’s game and frauen fussball or women’s football which was the women’s game. It was the first time I ever heard it separated like that and I thought it was ridiculous. You don’t ask people if they play women’s football you just ask if they play football, it’s the same game! This was a country that had the best women’s team in the world, they had just won the World Cup, but the sport was still seen as a game for men.”

Bex Smith, former Football Ferns captain

During their respective careers both Katie and Bex have gone out of their way to try and break the bias for those who have come after them. Before her becoming the first female CEO of the Commonwealth Games Federation, Katie held the position of General Manager for Women’s Rugby at World Rugby where she often found herself calling out unconscious bias.

“At the end of the day there are perceptions of what skills and capabilities people bring into organisations based on who they are and yes based on their gender. We all have a responsibility to work to remove that unconscious bias that exists in people’s minds. During my role at World Rugby I did a lot of work mentoring women around the world, and there still exists this idea that while women may have a place in boardrooms or other management areas, their responsibility is to still look after women’s stuff. When I was working for World Rugby I worked hard to change that perception. I think it’s still our responsibility to call that out.”

For Bex the prevalence of bias within women’s football and the opportunity to change that is one of the driving factors that has kept her involved in the sport. During her playing career she captained the Football Ferns to two Olympic Games and played for a number of international teams. She has since worked for FIFA, UEFA and COPA90 across marketing, media, strategy and event planning roles. Most recently she started her company Crux Sports, which supports athletes by helping them understand their brand and marketing opportunities. She also works to share stories and news about female athletes in a bid to raise their profiles. She sees huge opportunities for growth within women’s football.

Bex Smith believes role models are an important part of the change.

“Fans are waking up and people are starting to understand the injustices in sport. It’s become not ok to ignore these topics that are really important to women. There is a lot of social pressure to change. But this change has to take place at the top, within the governing bodies. The money has been pumped into men’s sport, has made it bigger and better, and that in turn has attracted more money. That same attitude needs to be applied to women’s sport. We need to grow the support and break the cycle of women’s teams being treated so differently to men’s teams. It’s time to invest in women and it’s a really good business investment because at the end of the day it’s 50% of the population.”

Both Katie and Bex agree that things are starting to improve and feel that as leaders they have a responsibility to pave the way for those who come after them. For Bex, it’s about sharing the stories of female athletes, coaches, managers and leaders to give the next generation inspiration and role models to look up to.

“Role models are so important, it’s how we give people the belief they can do it as well. There is a lot of hard work and effort that comes with breaking biases. It’s draining and demeaning and frustrating and tiring. Women that head down that path make a lot of sacrifices and I take my hat off to each and every one of them. It’s so important to have those role models though, people need to see someone do it ahead of them, and then that gives them the belief that they can do it as well and that is how we will create real change.”

After more than thirty years in leadership roles Katie says she’s seen a big evolution of women in sports leadership positions and she’s happy to see a female appointment become the norm rather than the exception.

“When I look at the evolution of women in leadership positions, say for example in rugby, there are now far more chief executives of rugby and it’s no longer a big story when a woman is coaching a mens team. I’m absolutely committed to paving the way for others and I’m happy to be in that kind of position but I always want to make sure I bring people with me, whether that’s women who work with me or women who govern with me. I’m happy to break down barriers to make sure that other people can come with me on this journey.”

Katie worked hard to challenge gender bias during her time at World Rugby

And Katie says part of bringing people with you is being able to show them that it’s okay to call out biases, no matter how small, even if it doesn’t always make you popular.

“I have been in many situations when I have had to call out bias and it can be awkward. Just recently we were doing a big piece of work for women and the company coming in to do it assembled a team of all men. I had to say ‘look I’m sorry guys, you have women who work for you in these roles they need to be on this team.’ There are still these situations where people don’t realise where they have gone wrong. I am the person who comes into the room and points it out and questions it and some men roll their eyes at that. However I believe when you are in a leadership position, it’s really important to not let those things go unsaid, so I will continue to ask those questions no matter how many eyes roll.”

Katie and Bex were both part of a panel discussion to mark International Women’s Day. The event, was hosted in London, by Kea and the New Zealand Business Women’s Network, also featured Olympic equestrian Jonelle Price and Rugby star Sene Naoupu.

Dr Michelle Dickinson – Co-Founder and CTO, Nanogirl Labs Ltd

I’ve always loved being an engineer, being able to build solutions and problem solve brings me so much joy. When I started work I was the only female engineer in my company. This has meant I’ve come up against some challenging stereotypes through my career and have felt lonely and isolated. I’ve attended many meetings as the only female in the room where the assumption was that I was there to take minutes for the meeting and make the tea rather than being the engineer there to lead it!

Michelle Dickinson has always had a passion for engineering

However over the last decade there has been an increasing number of female engineers graduating and joining the workplace, which is helping to change the perceptions around engineers and gender. My advice to other female engineers would be to actively seek out the support and mentorship of other women in your industry. Building a network of people around you can help to build confidence, find new opportunities and create a safe space to problem solve any issues.

It’s interesting to note that research shows gender stereotyping starts from birth, with some studies showing how toddlers are spoken to and picked up differently, based on their gender. One of the reasons why I work so much with young people is that I see society is still setting these biases and limiting beliefs early, not realising that in doing so we might already be deterring girls from thinking about careers in science and engineering.

Chelsea Winstanley – Film Producer and Director

It is an exciting time to be a female filmmaker right now because we see the balance of power in the decision making of what gets made changing. The generation before me paved the way, they fought very hard for me to be where I am and I do not take that for granted. In fact I use that as a driving factor in every decision I make. I want to carry on their legacy so that my daughters have it easier than me.

Chelsea Winstanley is best known for producing films such as ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ and ‘Jojo Rabbit’.

In the filmmaking industry if you do something well you are an exception. The biggest misconception is just that, you are only an exception because there has not been fair representation. We make up 50% of the population but that is not represented across the industry of ‘makers’ so you are singled out. We wouldn’t be an exception if we had the same opportunities as men because we would be represented just as fairly. Therefore the exception only exists because we have been shut out for so long. If men were willing to share the power there would be no bias. It is on them to change this situation, not us.

My advice to others would be that you deserve to be exactly where you want to be. Find a community of people who share your same dreams because no one makes a film as an individual, it just cannot happen. You need good people in your life, find the people who want to champion you. The only bias that exists is the bias men have towards women. It’s their problem, they need to fix it.

Jessica Mutch-McKay – Political Editor, 1 News

When I first started in politics it was definitely more of a man’s world. In 15 years that’s changed dramatically, and now the Political Editors of TVNZ, Newshub, RNZ, The Herald and Newsroom are all women. I think strong people still struggle with women being strong and challenging and confrontational but that’s changing too.

I remember when I was working as the Europe Correspondent for 1 News and I had to cover the Northern All Blacks tour. On that tour I was the only woman and the only non-specialist rugby reporter, and I felt I had a lot to prove. I did a lot of reading and researching to show that I could hold my own with all the experts. Nowadays you see a lot more women covering all aspects of news and sport including Rugby.

Jessica crosses live into 1 News, juggling work and motherhood

The ability to be a Mum in this industry has changed over the years too. It’s still not easy but Parliament is a lot more family friendly. Being a Mum adds a whole other layer to things. Gosh it’s a juggle. I have become the Queen of picking my battles and saving problems to deal with later. I think like a lot of women I feel a lot of pressure to do it all and maybe that’s something that we need to work on changing.

My advice to other young women looking for a career in journalism or politics would be to work hard. Set your own standards and make them high. Be prepared. Do your research. Be fair. Be considerate. Manage your stress. Hold your ground. Make your voice heard. Ask for what you want, after all nothing changes if nothing changes. But at the end of the day it’s such a fun industry, so soak it all up.

Laura Scampion – Managing Partner, DLA Piper

Law has historically been a male dominated profession – particularly in leadership roles. It certainly was when I started out from University. With so many more women entering the profession now from law school, there is a duty on female leaders in the legal field to open more doors to more opportunities for those young women. I’ve been given an opportunity as a leader to reshape the profession (or at least part of it). Importantly, when I entered the profession most of the buyers of legal services were men. That’s not the case now. A huge proportion of my clients are organisations run by women or with a significant number of women in leadership roles.

Laura Scampion feels its her responsibility as a leader to help break the bias

In the early days when I was a junior solicitor in my first firm, I recall one incident at reception where the client refused to believe I was a lawyer because I was a woman. The partner I was working for asked him to leave the building after he requested a ‘real lawyer’ work the file (a man).

My advice to other young women wanting to work in Law is that if even for a moment you are being held back or treated differently at a workplace because of your gender – get out of there as soon as you can. There is no place for that in the profession now and there are plenty of firms that celebrate female leadership and in fact recognise that it is instrumental for success.

Successful progressive workplaces are constantly reviewing, monitoring and checking in on bias (in whatever form that takes) in order to own any flaws and ensure improvement where it is needed. A lot of this stuff can’t be measured though, it doesn’t always work to operationalise it. So we need to keep swapping stories about any bias we encounter. Measurements won’t change bias in our culture. Stories must be told as well – that humanises it.

Chantelle Nicholson – Chef and Restaurant owner

Being a female chef is still somewhat of a minority. For me, this means an emphasis on supporting those who are in the industry, and also encouraging young females to join. The perception that it is not a role for a female has changed considerably in the last 10 years, and the younger generations have a much more open view.

Chantelle Nicholson is the chef owner of London restaurants Apricity and All’s Well

For me personally it has been mostly unconscious bias and not necessarily in the kitchen, but more in terms of media and business opportunities, also leniency on certain behaviours from male counterparts. On the flip side, there are opportunities that I have been consciously considered for due partly to the fact I am a female.

My advice to other young women is to just do it, and try not to overthink it all. Do what feels right, trust your gut, and challenge yourself to get a little out of your comfort zone in terms of taking opportunities you may feel you’re not experienced or skilled enough for. I think it is important to stand up for what you believe in, and to show yourself due respect and care. There are times when we take more time and effort with other’s thoughts and feelings, and sometimes forget to give the same to ourselves, so we need to keep this front of mind.

North America

The big news this month has been the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature bank, with authorities moving quickly to stabilise the banking system. The collapse of SVB sent shockwaves around the world, forcing tech investors and start-ups to check on their financial exposure at a time when many businesses were already having to lay off staff. New Zealand company Rocket Lab had around US$38 million ($62 million) or 7.9% of its cash with SVB and a number of other New Zealand tech companies were also tied up with the bank.

The damage to the banking sector has not been limited to the US, with Swiss bank UBS a week later agreeing to spend $3.25bn to rescue its rival Credit Suisse. Although some bank stocks had taken a beating, most experts agree that financial markets more broadly have taken the US bank collapses in their stride. What effect this will have long term are yet to be seen but

Elsewhere in the economy recent data and revisions point to inflation easing more slowly than previously expected, and stronger than predicted data from January data has led some economic experts to revise their Q1 GDP growth forecasts. However most agree that overall the economy will see a downturn this year.

NZ radio station ‘The Rock’ will be in town at the end of March, bringing their award-winning breakfast team to the city to broadcast back to NZ from non-other than the Rockefeller Center. The team has been busy connecting with New York-based Kiwi, so NZ listeners will enjoy a few surprises and a glimpse of what life is like for our kiwi explorers living in one of the world’s biggest cities.

Gary Fortune, Kea North America Regional Director

UK and Europe

Great news for those Kiwi heading to the UK on their OE and also Brits looking to explore and help with talent shortages at home and to enjoy New Zealand, with changes to the Youth Mobility Scheme / Working Holiday Visa. New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced that from July this year the visa increases to 3 years with age applications being extended to 35 years old. This also affects those already in market who will be able to apply for an extension to their two year visa. We look forward to welcoming those coming this way. More details and links can be found on our Kea Website or via the MFAT and New Zealand High Commission in London directly.

This month we have had a number of events around the UK including community meet ups in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Bath. A wonderful opportunity to catch up with those from our offshore community and to help build professional and personal connections. In London we have hosted our annual event with the NZ Business Women’s Network, which saw almost 70 members of our community come together to celebrate International Women’s Day and to discuss this year’s theme ‘embrace equity’. Our panel, which included Kea members Sarah Smart, Angela Kearns and Jo Manawa Fletcher and was moderated by the wonderful Mary Fenwick.

This month the New Zealand community in London will present the New Zealand Cyclone Relief Variety Show on the 31st March to raise money for those affected by cyclone Gabrielle. If you would like to support this event more details can be found on our events page.

Sara Fogarty, Kea UK/Europe Regional Director

China

March has always been a month to hold important meetings in China. From March 5 to 13, the 14th National People’s Congress was held in Beijing. The congress passed a series of new legislations as well as completing the election of new leaders. The national government set 5% of GDP growth as the target of 2023 which is welcomed by the international society. On March 15, China fully reopened visa systems to foreign visitors, including tourists after three years of border restrictions. China’s Embassy resumed issuing all categories of visas for foreigners with further relaxation. As a result, Kea in China has received growing visit requests from New Zealand entrepreneurs recently. Kea is ready to receive business and personal visits from New Zealand and will carry on making crucial business connections to help kiwi business strive.

The relaxing of restrictions has seen in person events take off in China. On March 8, Kea NZ co-hosted the IWD event with the International Professional Women’s Society (IPWS) in Shanghai. As a reflection of this year’s UN IWD topic “Embrace Equity”, the event topic focused on professional women’s psychological safety. The discussion covered personal and professional experiences, recommendations and advised action plans to serve the topic. This was followed by an enthusiastic networking session where people enjoyed meeting new friends and sharing a glass of Kiwi wine. We were also honoured to receive Mr. Ardi Barnard, the newly appointed Consul General of New Zealand in Shanghai, and Ms. Erina, Consular of New Zealand in Shanghai. On March 10, the first Kiwi drinks of 2023 saw 70ish kiwis and friends of New Zealand meet in downtown Shanghai. After such a long period of lockdowns and Covid restrictions it was lovely to get out and meet so many of our community at these two events.

Rebecca Bao, China Regional Director

New Zealand

This month the Government has been focused on Cyclone Gabrielle recovery, including a $26 million grant extension supporting growers and farmers to help protect future production. Cost of living has also been top of mind, with a second tranche of Government programmes being stopped or slowed to deliver $1 billion in savings which will be reallocated to support New Zealanders.

The Advanced Manufacturing Industry Transformation Plan (ITP) was launched this month. It is one of eight ITPs created to increase productivity and performance in key sectors of the economy and will strengthen regional New Zealand – including regions severely impacted by recent extreme weather. Advanced manufacturing accounts for 10% of our economy and jobs and 73.5% of goods exports. Almost half of these jobs are in regional New Zealand. The sector has significant untapped potential to increase productivity and high wage jobs, and to support New Zealand’s transition to a globally competitive, low emissions economy. The plan sets out how this transformation will take place by increasing innovation and productivity, and driving higher wages and living standards.

The new eagerly anticipated three year NZ UK Working Holiday Visas (WHV) will now be delivered earlier than expected, coming into force by July this year in time to support businesses through the global labour shortages. The improved WHV was successfully negotiated alongside the NZ UK Free trade Agreement in 2022 and will give more UK travellers open work rights in New Zealand for longer, and New Zealanders an extension to their OE. There are around 4,200 visa holders from the UK in New Zealand currently able to extend their right to remain and work for at least one year longer, and the annual cap will be extended to 15,000 visas per year. The extension in eligibility from 30 to 35 years was also celebrated by visa holders on both sides.

Finally, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has made the first visit by a New Zealand Minister to China since 2019. The Minister is meeting with her counterpart Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Beijing and will discuss issues of commonality including trade, climate and environmental issues. China is New Zealand’s largest trading partner, and 2022 saw the celebration of fifty years of diplomatic relations between our two countries.

Saya Wahrlich, Global Director, Government & Industry

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