On Tuesday 15th August (Auckland) and Wednesday 16th August (Wellington), we welcomed Mr David Whitwam, Chairman of the New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong,
speak to guests about: a) the new government in Hong Kong following 1 July inauguration; b) the Bay Area initiative which will integrate Hong Kong further into the Pearl River Delta; c) how Hong Kong fits into the Belt and Road Initiative; and d) the HK2030+ plan.
David began the seminar by introducing some names of the HKSAR, including Hon. Carrie Lam, Hon Matthew Cheung, Hon Paul Chan and Hon Rimsky Yuen. Most of his presentation was then focused on the colocation of immigration, namely the Hong Kong – mainland rail link, its located checkpoints and its law enforcement issues.
David also introduced some key elements of the HK2030+ plan, such as the HKIA third runway, the Hong Kong Macau Zhuhai Bridge and the East Lantau Metropolis. He also briefly touched on the Belt and Road Initiative, which promotes market integration and forges ties between economies, by way of people-to-people bonds, policy coordination, financial integration, facilities connectivity and unimpeded trade. His main message for us was “the Belt and Road is not going to come to New Zealand, we have to go to the Belt and Road”.
Ms Bonnie Shek, Director, Australia & New Zealand, Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Dr Luca De Leonardis, Head of Investment Promotion for Australia and New Zealand, Invest Hong Kong, and Ms Rachael McGuckian, Trade Commissioner – Hong Kong & Macau, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, also presented at our seminars.
Dr De Leonardis gave an introduction about InvestHK, the department within the HKSAR Government responsible for Foreign Direct Investment, supporting overseas and Mainland entrepreneurs, SMEs and multinationals to set up or expand their business in Hong Kong.
Ms McGuckian gave an overview of NZ Inc and NZTE in Hong Kong. She also shared the stories of two companies that were successfully able to enter the Hong Kong market with NZTE’s assistance. The first, “Eat The Kiwi,” is a produce company based on a chef centric model, supplying what chefs want, where and how they want it. The second case study looked at Liverton Technology Group, which builds high integrity software and hardware.
Ms Shek gave an overview of HKTDC, the Hong Kong statutory body established in 1966 to assist international companies and investors to explore and enter new markets on the Chinese mainland and throughout Asia.
After the presentations, attendees had the opportunity to meet our guest speakers and network with other attendees over drinks and finger food.
Please refer to our Facebook page for photos.
