High Commissioner to Singapore, Martin Harvey
New Zealand High Commissioner to Singapore, Martin Harvey and Chief Executive Officer of Waikato Link, Mark Stuart, share their views on the recent Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signing with Singapore, with Melanie Yip of 938Live.
The High Commissioner emphasizes that the synergy between both countries will lead to win-win partnerships, especially in the biotech industries by the following reasons:
- There are great collaborations going on between New Zealand institutions to date - this leads to stronger research outcomes; and
- New Zealand is open to and encouraging partnerships with SEA institutions to mutually strengten expertise in the area.
Mark Stuart also shares that since 1993, Waikato Link, a subsidiary of the University of Waikato in New Zealand, has been active on a simple mission of maximising the economic potential of useful technological developments within the university for the benefit of more people.
He hopes that this FTA will enable them to learn more from Singapore’s expertise in bioscience, especially those from small and medium enterprises.
One of the main challenges being faced by New Zealand institutions is their lack of knack in commercialising their products and solutions, said Mr. Harvey, and with this potential partnerships, he hopes to leverage on the partners’ knowledge on the local market.
Recent figures have shown two-way trade between New Zealand and Singapore to be on the rise. In 2007, bilateral trade amounted to more than S$2.4 billion, and in the first 6 months of last year, 2-way trade figures already exceeded S$2.7 billion.
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Tags: FTA New Zealand Singapore, FTA Singapore New Zealand, Martin Harvey, Martin Stuart, New Zealand High Commissioner, NZTE, University of Waikato, Waikato Link
