Kiwi businesses urge Fiji talks
NZ businesses are urging their government to talk with Fiji’s military-led government in an attempt to stop Kiwi exports being banned.
Fiji’s interim prime minister Commander Frank Bainimarama is threatening retaliation after his senior official was banned from entering New Zealand, sayng “If diplomacy does not work then my government will be left with no option but to adopt retaliatory measures,” Bainimarama said earlier.
But New Zealand is sticking to its guns and businesses are bracing themselves for a possible export ban. “We are looking for a clear timetable or a return to a constitutional government in Fiji and we’ve seen nothing like that at this point,” Prime Minister Helen Clark said.
NZ businesses mostly export building supplies and meat to Fiji – trade that is worth more than $500 million a year. Ullrich Aluminium is one such exporter and Gilbert Ullrich, who also chairs New Zealand’s Pacific Business Council, wants the government to meet with its Fijian counterpart.
“We’ve got to get around the table and start talking to people face to face,” says Ullrich. Local businesses are also likely to feel the pinch if Fiji retaliates against NZ measures.
One butchery imports up to 15 containers of lamb a month for Hindus who don’t eat pork or beef and Fiji’s developing tourism industry which relies on materials from New Zealand would also face problems.
However New Zealand’s loss could mean China’s gain with Fiji sending a high powered delegation to the People’s Republic, “I think the PRC would welcome the opportunity to take over New Zealand’s position and replace us in the Fijian and South Pacific markets,” says Ullrich
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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