Outlook for NZ positive

 He says people trust our products and trust what we produce in NZ.

In our big sectors – meat and dairy – demand for our product continues to be strong and the diversification into a whole range of markets has really helped, Smith says. He also believes there are enormous opportunities in horticulture.

“Everyone I talk to in that industry wants to make greater investments,” he told Rural News.

“People are looking for land and investment opportunities to grow high value horticulture. We could see, across the next decade, new fruit varieties – such as dragon fruit – come along and a further push on avocados to get those fruit over the billion dollar mark.”

Smith says there is a tendency to underestimate the importance of biosecurity in our everyday practices on farm. He points out that much of NZ’s success on the trade side is due to the fact that we are free of pests and diseases and that gives us access to markets in countries which value this.

Also paramount on the trade front Smith says is sustainability. He says a strong commitment to this is critical if NZ is to negotiate good trade deals with places such as the EU.

“NZ’s sustainability story is very compelling to those countries in the European area who are also striving for the same thing. We have got a lot in common.”