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Key Taranaki companies involved in Venture Taranaki's ExporTar initiative received a briefing on the importance of considering Asia as a region worth developing a strong connection with.
The briefing, by Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Chief Executive Simon Murdoch and the Asia New Zealand Foundation, previewed a report released to Taranaki School Principals entitled: Asia and Taranaki: Why the World's Largest Region Matters to a Person Growing Up in Taranaki.
The report found that Asia is the most important export region for New Zealand, with $12.5 billion worth of goods sent to Asian countries annually, with China being New Zealand's largest market for milk and cream, and Japan the largest market for cheese.
It also found that in 2006, 765 fee-paying international students studied at Taranaki schools, with the majority coming form Asian countries, and bringing an estimated $25.4 million into the region, with the creation of 238 full time jobs.
"This report highlights what is already a strong relationship between Taranaki and Asia, but there is still a lot of potential to grow this relationship,"said Venture Taranaki's Senior Enterpise Advisor Nick Fleming.
"By growing our region's collective awareness and understanding of Asia and its people, we will build the foundations for stronger links down the track, not only at a business level, but right across the Taranaki community."
ExporTar is an initiative for Taranaki companies with the capability and desire to export. The forum promotes greater networking and learning across sectors.
ExporTar is open to all Taranaki companies interested in exporting, no matter what scale their organisation. Anyone interested in joining ExporTar and being notified about upcoming events should email Nick Fleming, Senior Enterprise Advisor at Venture Taranaki, at nick@venture.org.nz.
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