China Business Summit

The Auckland Regional Chamber of Commerce in partnership with NZ INC Ltd is proud to host the inaugural China Business Summit.

This high-calibre event is designed to create a platform for increased business engagement between New Zealand and China and to scope an action agenda to ensure that New Zealand businesses benefit even more from harnessing China’s growing wealth.

China is set to become the world’s largest economy within the decade. Under the 12th five-year plan, China will transition to a consumption-led and innovative economy presenting exciting new opportunities for New Zealand companies to grow their businesses.

Already China has become New Zealand’s second-largest trading partner on the back of the ground-breaking free trade deal signed in 2008. New Zealand's commodity producers have been to the fore as China's thirst for resources has grown. NZ manufacturers have also taken advantage of China's large-scale manufacturing capacity. As China moves up the value-chain new opportunities will emerge.

NZ businesses must be at the forefront if New Zealand is to achieve the bold goals in the Government’s China strategy.

This summit has strong support from leading Government Ministers.

We are honoured to have the participation of Prime Minister John Key who will address the summit on the Government’s evolving China strategy and discuss future directions in a Q&A session led by NZ Inc director and business columnist Fran O’Sullivan.

High-calibre speakers will challenge current thinking by setting a big-picture agenda for business. These include:

Theo Spierings – chief executive of NZ’s biggest company Fonterra. Theo will share insights into the dairy co-op’s big expansion plans in China.
Don Elder, chief executive of Solid Energy. He will talk on the SOE’s growing commercial relationship with China.
Don Braid – Mainfreight CEO and Deloitte/Top 200 Executive of the Year (2011). Don will explain China’s role in Mainfreight’s bold goal to be New Zealand’s largest company by the time it “turns 50” in 2028.
Renowned China investment specialist David Mahon will address the summit on the emerging  New Zealand investment platform in China. This will be followed by an exciting panel session on ‘After the Crafar debacle – the new norms for Chinese FDI’.
We are fortunate to have China strategist Alan Carroll as our lunchtime speaker who will address the summit on ‘The new Chinese leadership: What's changed, what's the same and what opportunities are there for New Zealand business’.

The summit will also include a session with separate streams for “emerging” businesses which are thinking seriously about engaging with the China opportunity; and, companies that are already engaged in the China space. This will include a panel session where Synlait chief executive John Penno and others will spell out how their businesses are expanding offshore with the benefit of Chinese shareholders or ‘marriage partners’. These sessions will have a practical focus and be augmented by case studies of smaller NZ companies who have been fostered by NZTE.

Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce will address the summit on the practical steps the Government is taking to expand NZ’s business engagement with China.

The summit will then discuss the NZ brand story: Is this really working for New Zealand? Should NZ have umbrella brands for individual sectors? What are the threats to the brand? Are brand projections needed?

There will be a panel session on how the NZ tourism, aviation and airport sectors are driving new business to New Zealand as it becomes a “China hub”.

The summit will conclude with a closing address from Auckland Regional Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Barnett who will scope action points from the summit and future steps.

Click here to view the programme.
To register for this event, please click here.

CHINA BUSINESS SUMMIT SPEAKERS
MC: Fran O’Sullivan
Opening Address: Prime Minister John Key
Theo Spierings – chief executive, Fonterra
Don Elder – chief executive, Solid Energy
Don Braid – chief executive, Mainfreight and Deloitte/Top 200 Executive of the Year (2011)
David Mahon – China investment specialist
Alan Carroll – China strategist
John Penno – chief executive, Synlait]
Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce
Michael Barnett – chief executive, Auckland Regional Chamber of Commerce