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14 March 2020
New boost for German-New Zealand
relationship January 31, 2020 at exactly 11 pm GMT
will be remembered as an historic day
in the history of the United Kingdom
and the European Union: Brexit has
really happened. However, it is now
time to look forward and perhaps New
Zealand´s Minister of Foreign Affairs
and Trade, Winston Peters, had a feeling
for what was going to happen when he
and his Ministry released their strategic
intentions plan for the country in 2018.
It´s a strategic framework, a four-yearplan
(2018-2022) developed by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
(MFAT), which includes the aim to ´lift`
NZ´s relationships with five selected
countries. Within the strategy paper,
it is very significant that Germany was
selected as the only European country
overall. All other countries sit within
Asia: Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, and
India.
Why is this strategy important for NZ?
The foreword of the strategic paper
reads that New Zealand aims to be more
present internationally to achieve its
objectives: “The Government has recognised
the need to invest in the Ministry
(of Foreign Affairs and Trade) to
strengthen our influence and show that
New Zealand is a country that engages
with the world, contributes to solving
global challenges, protects its interests,
and promotes its values.”
For this very reason, New Zealand´s
Government has agreed on additional
funding of NZ$ 714 million over a period
of four years to boost these goals. Firstly,
most of the funding will be directed
towards the Pacific to help reduce Pacific
Island countries´ vulnerability to
the impacts of climate change and to
assist these countries progress towards
the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals.
Secondly, within this strategy lies the
goal to grow a more sustainable and
productive economy for New Zealand.
This includes ongoing negotiations of
free trade agreements to secure the
country´s access to offshore markets.
Thirdly, a very important part of NZ´s
strategic goals is to build and leverage
targeted international relationships.
In order to build these relationships, NZ
Government agencies such as NZTE,
MBIE, MPI, Education NZ, Tourism NZ
and Investment NZ were consulted as
part of the creation of the strategy. This
strategy is also meant to contribute to
the objectives of other stakeholders
such as the German Federal Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, the German-New Zealand
Chamber of Commerce (GNZCC)
and the business community.
Germany could become NZ´s strongest
European partner
Given shifting geopolitical dynamics,
New Zealand´s Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and Trade has decided to “build
new and enduring mechanisms to lift
(their) engagement with Germany”, to
strengthen its links with a like-minded
partner to manage risks and catalyse
opportunities for cooperation. The associated
Germany Strategy provides
a four-year plan to support this goal,
which aims to see Germany become a
reliable and influential partner for New
Zealand in a post-Brexit EU.
The current bilateral relationship between
Germany and New Zealand is
based on common values, good access,
and communication, and it is full of potential.
Germany can be best described
as the economic powerhouse of the
EU as it makes up 29 percent of the
Eurozone´s GDP. As one of the founding
members of the European Union,
its market is defined by a highly skilled
workforce, stable infrastructure, and
diverse industries. As the largest economy
in the European Union, Germany is
an influential, valuable and reliable trading
partner for export and import businesses
in New Zealand. With total trade
in goods and services worth NZ 3.8
billion dollars. As a leading location for
trade fairs, Germany plays an important
role for many New Zealand businesses
that want to source new product innovation
as well as businesses that want a
platform to promote their company and
products on a world stage.
How to create this stronger bond?
Engineers and
architects take
giant step forward
February has been described
as a momentous occasion for
the New Zealand architecture
and engineering industries.
It marked the official launch of
the Diversity Agenda Accord – a
public commitment made by CEs
and business owners of leading
industry firms, to achieving truly
diverse and inclusive professions.
The Accord is the next step in The
Diversity Agenda, which launched
two years ago and is a joint
initiative from Engineering New
Zealand, Te Kāhui Whaihanga New
Zealand Institute of Architects
(NZIA) and ACE New Zealand. The
initiative’s achieved a lot in its
short life, with over 165 organisations
now signed up as members.
However, a lot more needs to be
done to drive real behavioural
change and overcome the issues
both industries face when it
comes to attracting and keeping
staff from all walks of NZ society.
The Accord is a key tool for
achieving this behavioural change
within the industries. Its focus is
broader than just women – it concentrates
on all facets of diversity,
and the central role that inclusion
plays at the heart of diversity.
A Diversity Agenda survey
conducted late last year revealed
the Pākehā, male demographic
still heavily dominate the
professions and its leadership.
Only 16% of engineers and 25%
of registered architects in New
Zealand are women, and just 3%
of the Engineering New Zealand
members are Māori.
Susan Freeman-Greene, chief
executive, Engineering New
Zealand, says both professions
currently face a concerning skills
shortage and given they’re both
vital industries, failure to fix this
will put huge pressure on New
Zealand.
“Many still associate a
certain stereotype with these
professions. We are working hard
to remove these perceptions and
make engineering and architeccontinued
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