GDP per capita is one international measure of a nation’s standard of living. In a ranking of the 30 OECD nations for 2001, New Zealand stands at 22, just below Spain. Our GDP per capita is less than the OECD average – 84 percent of the average to be precise. NZTE’s goal is to help jump-start New Zealand’s OECD ranking.
Without the increased foreign exchange earned by value-added exports,New Zealand runs the risk of becoming merely a holiday destination. By increasing our foreign exchange, we broaden and deepen our commercial sector and we secure the income needed to build hospitals, schools and infrastructure to ensure that all New Zealanders can be active participants in society.
We plan to help lift New Zealand’s ranking on the OECD ladder by taking a sector-led approach and focusing our resources on those areas that have the biggest potential return on investment.
As a government agency,we have limited and precious resources. Like a business,we’re only prepared to commit to those activities that we believe will well reward our stakeholders. New Zealand’s businesses must be more profitable and produce the higher value goods and services that can be sold to increasingly sophisticated international marketplaces.
We need to nurture and grow the enabling sectors that are producing the intellectual property that can be applied right across our products and services – particularly those in the ICT, biotechnology and creative sectors. And we must not forget the engine room of our economy – our agricultural, food and manufacturing exporters.
It’s important to note, though, that NZTE can only be the conduit and catalyst – we don’t conduct business ourselves, or export our goods and services. Our results will only be as good as the companies with which we work. We can each contribute to New Zealand’s economic transformation. It’s about thinking differently and taking the calculated risks that we hope will lead to new prosperity for this country. |