Last week New Zealand China Council partnered with the NZ International Business Forum (TradeWorks NZ) to co-host a seminar on the Southern Link – a big thank you to our Council member ANZ Bank for providing the venue.
The Southern Link is a proposal that instead of being the ‘last station at the end of the line’, New Zealand could be a logistics hub for goods and people linking Asia with Latin America. Our travel times are similar to, or beat, any other route between these regions.
It makes sense to shore up New Zealand’s air and sea connectivity and become an indispensable link for freight companies servicing both Asia and Latin America routes at a time when:
- Our government has a goal to double exports by value in 10 years
- This can be achieved by diversifying across multiple markets in Asia and Latin America
- Our own exporters and importers want more choice, to keep air and sea freight prices low
- We want to strengthen supply chain resilience and guard against future shocks
- Transport companies, consumers and governments are pursuing greener options through shorter routes
Our seminar returned to these issues, which were being actively discussed before Covid interrupted regional connectivity for several years. Participants representing airlines and airports, freight forwarders and cargo owners, diplomats, government officials and research institutes from Asia, New Zealand and Latin America gathered to re-explore the viability of hubbing through New Zealand. As always, challenges were identified - the real question is whether New Zealand as a small, innovative trading nation has the energy and creativity to pursue the opportunity.
We will be submitting key outcomes of the seminar to government ministers and officials in the coming weeks, and look forward to a continuation of an active dialogue on creating the Southern Link. We thank all attendees who participated in the seminar, and especially to Stephen Jacobi for co-hosting with us.
#southernlink #hub #connectivity #asia #latinamerica #newzealand #supplychain #business #trade #markets #logisytics #export #seminar #workshop #opportunity #internationaltrade Alistair Crozier