OPAIC lecturer Jay Hourani was invited to a NZ Trade Mission in Chengdu and Xi’an in China recently to represent his company as part of a New Zealand trade delegation.
Jay is a sessional management lecturer here at OPAIC. He is also the owner of THE GOOD HONEY CO., a premium New Zealand Honey Supplier.
The “Opening Doors to the West” business forum was built on the success of New Zealand's inaugural state visit by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Trade and Export Growth Minister David Parker to Beijing in April 2019. China-New Zealand trade is valued at over $30 billion.
The delegates included other New Zealand businesses, industry representatives and local Chengdu and Xi’an officials. They exchanged valuable trade-related networking and learning opportunities between the countries.
The highlights of the visit for Jay included the Panda Research Park in Chengdu and Terracotta Army museum in Xi'an.
The delegation group also visited the sister city of Hamilton, Chengdu Hamilton Luxelakes Kindergarten School and Xi'an's Education City which included the Hang Tiang High School Affiliated with Jiaotong University.
While Jay enjoyed the traditional Sichuanese Spicy Hot Pot dining experience in a traditional theatre setting, he received a deeper understanding of the Chengdu consumer from a fast-growing city.
Otago Polytechnic lecturers have various industry backgrounds which provides students with deeper industry insights on best practices and business models in action.
Some of the other NZ Business Delegates at the fourm were:
Lewis Road Creamery Ltd
Pic's Peanut Butter
Zespri
Emerald Foods
Moa Beer
Cloud Ocean Waters
Kengsington Swan
NZ Maori Tourism
O Tu Wines Ltd
Sunlife Nutrition
Other NZ Delegates were from:
New Zealand Trade Enterprise
New Zealand China Trade Association
Tourism New Zealand
Asia New Zealand Foundation
Employers and Manufacturers Association
ExportNZ
Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development
Auckland Airport
Business NZ
Jay was also interviewed and appeared on Chinese TV in China and in New Zealand:
From New Zealand to China: E-commerce
https://www.facebook.com/chinamatters/videos/2351637371767533/
From New Zealand to China: Music and Culture
https://www.facebook.com/chinamatters/videos/597345514424508/
Photo: Hang Tian School at Education City – Xi'an.