Mentorship program to improve businesses
THE Pacific Trade Invest New Zealand has established a mentorship program for regional exporters to New Zealand in an effort to improve their businesses and exports to New Zealand.
PTI New Zealand Trade Commissioner Glynis Miller said the pilot program was launched last year to enable local exporters gain expert advice on New Zealand’s trade requirements and potential buyers from various sectors including agriculture.
“For Pacific Trade Invest we represent 16 Pacific Island Countries and we have in access of 1400 clients across the Pacific and out of those we have about 120 A Class clients who are our large scale exporters,” she said.
“Because we are based in the export market we are supposed to be the go to for any exporter who wants to export to New Zealand and there is no reason why we shouldn’t because we are in that market so we really have to know that market ourselves if we have to give that information back to exporters in the Pacific, Fiji including,” she said.
She said the program would include assistance in branding, marketability and social media services for their clients.
The Trade Commissioner added that like any other country, New Zealand also experienced an economic downfall following COVID but there were sectors that regional businesses could take advantage of.
“The New Zealand market has contracted like every other economy around the world except in New Zealand they have a well-established manufacturing base in the industry and well established sectors.
“The backbone of New Zealand is their dairy industry and their horticulture so whilst their tourism industries like everyone else’s collapsed or contracted, these industries remained well established.”
She said these vital information was available for local and regional clients under the mentorship program.