French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade Olivier Betch speaking at the French Pacific Business Forum Photo: Embassy of France
French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade Olivier Betch has met with the South Pacific Employers' Representative to discuss France's regional integration.
The French Pacific Business Forum hosted several French Pacific Businesses at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in Auckland on Monday.
The Forum is part of France's Indo-Pacific strategy to develop economic ties between French territories in the Pacific and New Zealand.
Betch said there's great potential to growing links.
"There are more than two million French citizens living in the Indo-Pacific and we want this zone, which is the most powerful economic area in the world, to be for the French territories an area of development.
"With New Caledonia and French Polynesia, I simply ask what is their strategy to have more export and more exchange with other countries of the zone. The French Government is here to help them to develop their relations."
Diplomatic values
Twenty New Caledonian and 20 French Polynesian businesses covering a wide range of sectors met with 48 New Zealand businesses.
The Minister Delegate met several New Zealand politicians to discuss the values between New Zealand and France on a diplomatic level.
These included the Trade Minister Damien O'Connor and Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta to discuss the strengthening of the two country's bilateral relations, particularly on the economic level.
Olivier Betch opened the French Pacific Business Forum alongside his New Zealand counterpart Rino Tirikatene.
He also met Mayor of Auckland Wayne Brown and paid a visit to the Auckland metro to discuss the needs of the city and the deepening of a cooperation, particularly in the field of infrastructure.
He paid a visit to the capital Wellington to meet its mayor Tory Whanau to discuss the presence of French companies in New Zealand and the city's transport needs.
French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade Olivier Betch at the Maori Trade and Sustainbility roundtable which was held in Wellington Photo: Embassy of France
