New Zealand has been trying to get a free trade agreement with India for the last two decades, but those efforts have not borne fruit. Successive governments have tried to woo their Indian counterparts, with various degrees of enthusiasm, but an FTA remains elusive.
Now a new player has emerged in this space which hopes to change a few paradigms.
On Saturday 21 September 2024 the New Zealand Bharat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NZBCCI) was formally launched in Auckland and inaugurated by Deputy Prime Minister the Rt Hon Winston Peters and the High Commissioner Her Excellency Neeta Bhushan.
The Chamber is headed by former member of Parliament Mahesh Bindra. “In the last 20 years a lot of effort and good work has been put in the G2G (government-to-government) space. There has been good of B2B (business-to-business) engagement also, but we see gaps and the NZBCCI was launched to address and maybe try and fill those gaps,” says Bindra answering a question on the reason for setting up this association.
“We set up the Chamber to bridge the demand-supply between India and New Zealand,” he said. “For quite some time we have been receiving reports from our associates both here and in India that there is, to put it in layman’s terms, a gap between what New Zealand wants to sell and what India wants to buy. There is also a lot of misconception on what India can offer New Zealand. We need a body that can navigate the waters and engage with the right networks. A part of the problem stems from the fact that NZ bureaucrats and politicians often ignore ground realities or rely on bad advice to make their policies. The NZBCCI will provide insights and advocacy and will lobby with the correct people.”
Speaking at the inauguration Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters emphasised the importance that New Zealand places on forging closer relations with India. He called for a reset of India-New Zealand relations and advocated that New Zealand push forward its efforts to get closer to India and more needs to be done. He felt that initiatives like the NZBCCI would help further the agenda. He said that relations should go beyond buying-selling and include supply chains, renewable energy and direct flights.
High Commissioner Neeta Bhushan outlined India’s phenomenal growth in the last decade and encourage the NZBCCI to expend its efforts to boost bilateral trade.
At the event, Mr Peters and Ms Bhushan unveiled the NZBCCI logo and operationalised the NZBCCI website https://www.nzbcci.com/.
The NZBCCI also signed a memorandum of understanding with Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The signing was done live via video link with audiences both in Ahmedabad and Auckland witnessing it live. After the ceremony Mr Bindra said that the NZBCCI was in discussions with other Indian states and more state associations would come on board.
The Board of NZBCCI has Mahesh Bindra (Chairman), Roy Kaunds (Secretary), Sukerna Amirapu (Treasurer), Major Ron Mark (former Defence Minister), Jacob Mannothra, Prithi Pal Singh Basra, Alan Nicholson (racing) and Fletcher Tabuteau (former minister). The board will soon be expanded.
Mr Sudhanshu Mehta a leading Indian businessman and industrialist has been appointed as the Chairman of the NZBCCI Bharat Chapter, responsible for all of India and neighbouring countries.
In his opening speech Mr Bindra was pointed out that the name Bharat symbolised the new, confident India that has taken its place at the table as an equal. He said that Bharat is the historical, official, civilisational and Constitutional name of India. The use of that name signifies the deep understanding of India that NZBCCI can offer to bilateral trade and G2G relations.
NZBCCI Secretary Roy Kaunds outlined vision of the organisation and explained brand values and the creatives behind the logo created by Indian brand Guru Manish Diwan.-TIN Bureau