Brown sees potential in Southland
Visiting United States ambassador to New Zealand Scott Brown is keen to work with businesses in the region to strengthen trade and create jobs.
Yesterday, Brown met with Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt, Invercargill MP Sarah Dowie and start-up company owners at Venture Southland to understand business opportunities for the region when it comes to importing and exporting.
Brown said he was keen to work with the start-ups in the region, as well as come back to have further discussions with others. He was pleased with their product ideas and believed they would sell in New Zealand, Australia and the United States.
‘‘Obviously the business relationship is really important. There’s almost $18 billion of trade back and forth [nationally].
‘‘My job is to go to places like Southland, find these opportunities and give them the tools sometimes to fulfil their dreams.
‘‘There’s opportunities back and fourth and it could be something as simple as beer, or it could be something as complex as a new engine or a new rocket, so there’s a whole wide range of things that we’re working on.’’
Brown said he hoped to keep an open line of communication with Southland businesses and leaders to help develop opportunities. Nationally, New Zealand’s relationship with the US market was ‘‘off the charts positive’’, he said.
New Zealand has strong industries in the wine, beef, lamb and technology sectors, he said.
‘‘US folks are looking here [in New Zealand] to the high tech sector, the virtual reality sector, to make sure that there’s some – and there are – some great opportunities here. So we’re doing a tonne of things.
‘‘My main job is to create jobs, not only for Kiwis but for US citizens, and establish that great trade relationship.’’
Yesterday, he visited ILT Stadium, the SIT Zero Fees Velodrome, Transport World, Venture Southland and later
launched a US craft beer into the New Zealand market at The Kiln.
Brown had been to about 15 breweries throughout the country to look at opportunities for companies to go into the US, as well as US companies wanting to export to New Zealand.
However, his visit was more important than just the launch of a new beer, he said.
‘‘I made a pledge to visit all the MPs and I’ve met 113 of them so far.’’
Invercargill MP Sarah Dowie reached out to Brown earlier in the year to organise the visit.
It was important to bring the ambassador to showcase Southland and foster relationships, Dowie said.
‘‘New Zealand is a trading nation so it’s only natural that we should be looking to the US.
‘‘We’ve got China across the line, now we’re strengthening relationships with the EU, Britain, and the [United] States.’’
Southland made up about 14 per cent of New Zealand’s exports, she said.
A spokesperson for Fonterra said two products made at the Edendale site were exported to the US, a casein product, which was commonly used in cafe sachets, and a medical grade milk protein concentrate.
The casein product was popular in the United States as it was non-GMO and came from grass-fed cows, the spokesperson said.
Brown, who is a keen cyclist, also raved about the quality of Southland’s athletic facilities after his first ever velodrome ride at ILT Stadium on his visit.
‘‘I’ve been around the world and we have some fantastic athletic facilities but this is probably number one,’’ he said.