Stephen Jacobi, Executive Director of NZIBF, traveled to San Francisco for APEC Leaders’ week and writes his thoughts on the outcome.
Natural disasters bind Japan-NZ partnership NBR – 29 July 2011

The third Japan-New Zealand Partnership Forum met in the face of adversity, humbled by the sheer magnitude of the recent disasters affecting both countries.
Forum Co-Chair, Yoshihiko Miyauchi summed up the challenge in his opening remarks ? “Today we are called to build to be builders of hope”.
The other chairman, Philip Burdon echoed the sentiment, saying increased co-operation held the key for a brighter future for both economies.
More than 100 delegates paid respect for lives lost and renewed their partnership, re-affirming their shared goal of building the strongest possible bi-lateral relationship.
Discussion focused on the importance of innovation and highlighted a range of areas where Japan and New Zealand can co-operate. Some of these are in the more established areas like high value food and sustainable agriculture, horticulture and fisheries.
Particularly important to both countries at this time is co-operation in the built environment and renewable/sustainable energy.
We heard about new possibilities for “smart house” construction ? built using sustainably produced and engineered timber, generating and storing its own power from solar panels, providing energy for smart cars and acting as a carbon sink. The case is compelling for demonstration homes to be built in both Christchurch and northeastern Japan.
Japan’s economy has struggled since the earthquake and tsunami on 11 March. Consumer confidence, already at a low ebb post the global financial crisis, took a dive.
Short term GDP growth will continue to be held back by supply disruptions, electricity shortfalls and weak domestic demand. But the Japanese Government’s fiscal response has been swift with a supplementary budget equal to 0.8% of GDP.
Longer term, as in Christchurch, the huge reconstruction effort will boost economic activity.
In the broader Asia Pacific region, demand from emerging economies in Asia is leading the recovery in global trade. Import demand from these economies was responsible for more than half of the growth in global trade for the last three quarters in a row.
Business in the region has already organised to capitalise on this structural shift with ever diversifying and more integrated supply chains but the region’s economic framework is lagging behind.
This is a major driver for the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), which seeks to reflect the way business is now actually being done. TPP aims to make doing business easier, lower costs to consumers, promote competitiveness and increase supply chain efficiency.
Japan’s economic recovery would be enhanced if the Government of Prime Minister Naoto Kan can deliver on its promise of bringing about what he has called “the great opening of the Heisei era”.
Several speakers underlined the need for economic change in Japan and support was expressed on both sides for future Japanese membership of TPP.
Whether it ultimately proves possible to overcome the objections of Japan’s highly protected agricultural industry remains to be seen. This is a decision for Japan to make and only if Japan shares what Business NZ CEO Phil O’Reilly called the “power of a big idea” – the idea that a more unified economic space could be created in the Asia Pacific region through an FTA which starts with a smaller number of more outward looking economies and gradually expands its membership over time.
There were clear indications that Japanese business understands the significance of TPP as an ambitious, high quality and comprehensive initiative and a potential pathway towards the broader vision of a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific.
Hopefully, the Forum will have motivated a number of influential players who do not want to see Japan stand aside from this new platform for economic growth.
These are all lofty ambitions for a relationship which may have gained some new relevance in the light of the recent disasters but which often seems to fail to spark the imagination of New Zealand business in the same way that China and India do today.
Yet Japan is still the world’s third largest economy, one of the world’s largest consumer markets and New Zealand’s fourth largest trading partner.
REGISTER WITH TRADE WORKS
Register to stay up to date with latest news, as well as saving and discussing articles you’re interested in.
Latest News
Of APEC, CPTPP and IPEF
While New Zealand was sorting out its new Government, the alphabet soup which is trade got a good stirring in San Francisco. This was APEC Leaders’ week, the annual gathering of Leaders, Ministers, business people and other stakeholders from the 21 economies of...
Remarks to Shanghai Forum: “China and CPTPP – New Zealand Expectations and Advice”
FUNDAN UNIVERSITY, SHANGHAI, 28 OCTOBER 2023 STEPHEN JACOBI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NEW ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS FORUM 杰珂陛 执行董事 新西兰国际商业论坛 CHINA AND CPTPP – NEW ZEALAND EXPECTATIONS AND ADVICE It is an honour for me to speak in such a distinguished forum. My thanks...
ADDRESS TO THE 53rd ONE STOP UPDATE FOR THE ACCOUNTANT IN BUSINESS – GLOBAL ECONOMIC UPDATE
AUCKLAND, 16 OCTOBER 2023 STEPHEN JACOBI - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NZ INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS FORUM Watch the full speech here. It’s a pleasure to be back with you for the 53rd edition of the One Stop Update and my thanks to Brightstar for giving me this opportunity once...
EYES OPENED DURING INDIA VISIT
Published by Newsroom on 6 September 2023 Stephen Jacobi reports on the recent business delegation to India. Every country has its contrasts and a subcontinent of 1.4 billion with thousands of years of history has more than most. Today’s India can reach the...
GUEST BLOG: Raewyn Bleakley, Chief Executive, New Zealand Food and Grocery Council
Exporting is an important part of the business of many NZFGC members whose brands we see daily on supermarket shelves. For some, exporting outweighs what they sell on our shores, while others are looking to break into new markets to open up growth opportunities beyond...
New Zealand business delegation “over the moon” with Indian trade and investment opportunities
MEDIA RELEASE - Friday 1 September, 2023 The involvement of New Zealand businesses in the successful Indian Moon landing epitomises the trade and investment opportunities between the two countries. Just as Rakon and RocketLab provided innovative elements to the...
REMARKS TO INDIA NEW ZEALAND TRADE AND ECONOMIC ROUNDTABLE
DELHI, 28 AUGUST 2023 STEPHEN JACOBI - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NZ INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS FORUM Opening remarks It’s a pleasure for me and the entire New Zealand delegation to be in Delhi today just days since India’s magnificent moon landing. These days India is literally...
Large business delegation bound for India
MEDIA RELEASE - Tuesday 22 August, 2023 Fifty business representatives will leave later this week bound for Delhi, making it one of the largest delegations ever to head for India. The delegation, comprising members and senior leaders of five business organisations,...
India and New Zealand: The next innings
As published in the NZ Herald, 18 August 2023 By Stephen Jacobi As a trade mission prepares to depart for Delhi, Stephen Jacobi of the New Zealand International Business Forum considers the prospects for growing two-way trade and investment between India and New...
CRUNCH TIME FOR CPTPP
As published in the NZ Herald, 18 August 2023. By Stephen Jacobi, Executive Director, NZ International Business Forum. Following the Ministers’ meeting in Auckland, what is the outlook for CPTPP as the world’s most ambitious free trade agreement? When Ministers...
INDIA AND NEW ZEALAND: GETTING ONTO THE FRONT FOOT
A 50 person business delegation is about to depart for India. It follows a major report by the India New Zealand Business Council (INZBC), published in April. The report took a critical look at the relationship, finding a number of shortcomings and advocating...
ADDRESS TO THE HAWKE’S BAY BRANCH OF THE NZ INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS – “TRADE SECURITY – FINDING NEW BASKETS”
TUESDAY 15 AUGUST 2023 STEPHEN JACOBI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NZ INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS FORUM It’s a pleasure to be with you once again. This is an address about trade but also about baskets and eggs – in particular how many eggs and how many baskets we need to prosper...
SUBMISSION TO THE PARLIAMENTARY FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DEFENCE AND TRADE COMMITTEE
INTERNATIONAL TREATY EXAMINATON OF THE NEW ZEALAND EUROPEAN UNION FREE TRADE AGREEMENT, JULY 2023 Introduction and Summary This submission is made on behalf of the New Zealand International Business Forum (NZIBF) whose members are listed at Annex A[1]. NZIBF is a...
CER CELEBRATES A RUBY ANNIVERSARY
The Australia-New Zealand Leadership, the semi-annual gathering of Ministers and business leaders, has been described as a “successful symbol of trans-Tasman togetherness[1]”. And the togetherness vibe was certainly present when the Forum gathered in Wellington...
Asia-Pacific businesses urge APEC Leaders to act on equity, sustainability and opportunity in an increasingly challenging landscape
APEC NEWS RELEASE issued by the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) Meeting in Cebu, the Philippines, this week, the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) stressed the need for action in an increasingly fragmented and difficult operating environment. “Our theme for...