2010 Annual General Meeting

The New Zealand Papua New Guinea Business Council is delighted to invite you to attend their Annual General Meeting.

The AGM will be followed by a two-course luncheon where you will have the opportunity to network with other members and supporters of the Council before an address from Papua New Guinea High
Commissioner, HE Mr William Dihm.

More info >

PNG/NZ bilateral trade statistics to June 2009

New Zealand's annual trade statistics to June 2009 have recently been released.  Below is a summary of the key trends in PNG/NZ bilateral trade and migration. Attached are a few more detailed pages.  Please feel free to reproduce and circulate.

• Exports from NZ to PNG (NZ$151m) continue to rise.
• Imports from PNG (NZ$103m) are markedly up from June year previous (bi-annual oil importation), down from year to Dec 08 (same reason) but still trending upwards.
• PNG is NZ’s 40th top trading partner and excluding Australia remains NZ’s second largest Pacific trading partner.
• Our top exports to PNG remain the same (sheepmeat, iron or non-alloy steel, milk powder and butter, quicklime and used clothing).
• Our top imports from PNG remain the same (crude oil, coffee, timber, logs and other wood products).
• PNG is NZ’s largest Pacific market for sheepmeat products (19th overall), and textiles/clothing/footwear (4th overall).
• PNG is NZ’s second largest Pacific market for meat and meat products (26th overall), fish/shellfish (35th overall), and machinery (23rd overall).
• PNG is NZ’s second largest Pacific supplier of agricultural products (42nd overall), and forestry and forestry products (30th overall).
• Short term visitors from PNG to NZ are down slightly, reflecting a continued downwards trend.
• Short term visitors from NZ to PNG are up slightly reflecting a continued upwards trend.
• Long term migration from PNG to NZ is fairly static (around 150 per year).
• Long term migration from NZ to PNG is slightly higher reflecting a gentle upwards trend.

> more details (PDF 1.2MB)

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What is PACER Plus?

PACER Plus is a trade and economic development agreement between Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Forum Island Countries. PACER Plus builds on the existing Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER). However, in contrast to the original PACER, PACER Plus will contain trade liberalisation provisions as well as take into account the special nature of our relationship with the Pacific. This means that PACER Plus will not be a traditional FTA in which commercial interests alone define New Zealand’s position.

New Zealand’s objective is to ensure that the agreement promotes sustainable economic growth in the Pacific by assisting Pacific Island Countries to take advantage of their trade potential, to raise standards of living, increase jobs and export capacity in the region, and to address the significant trade imbalance that currently exists between the Pacific and New Zealand.

The agreement must also be flexible and take account of individual countries’ circumstances, sizes and stages of development. As a trade and economic agreement, PACER Plus will create a new framework under which the private sector will operate. 

New Zealand is a truly Pacific nation
More than a quarter of a million New Zealanders (6% of the population) currently identify themselves as Pacific Islanders.  In 15 years time, that proportion is expected to grow to 10%.  

New Zealand has the potential to be a key driver for sustainable economic development in the Pacific. New Zealand and Australia have committed to ensuring that PACER Plus will complement our official development assistance (ODA) to build the right kind of national and regional arrangements that will help them expand and add value to their internal and export marketing efforts.

More information
> Background to PACER Plus
> MFAT information on PACER Plus

Past Newsletters

JULY 2010 (PDF 169KB)

April 2010 (PDF 125KB)
March 2010 (PDF 164KB)
December (PDF 290KB)
December Article (PDF 69KB)
September (PDF 290KB)
July 2009 (PDF 144 KB)
June 2009 (PDF - 357KB)
May 2009 (PDF - 177KB)
April 2009 (PDF - 194KB)
October 2008 (PDF - 136KB)
July 2008 (PDF - 188KB)
May 2008 (PDF - 48KB)
March 2008 (PDF - 48KB)
February 2008 (PDF - 63KB)
June 2007 (PDF - 48KB)
April 2007 (PDF - 48KB)
January 2007 (PDF - 1.01MB)
October 2006 (PDF - 684KB)
August 2006 (PDF - 598KB)
June 2006 (PDF - 636KB)
April 2006 (PDF - 2MB)

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