The Bay of Plenty was on the agenda for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's recent heads of mission visit to the regions.
The group of senior New Zealand diplomats visited a selection of businesses in Tauranga and also met with local body politicians and members of the Bay of Connections regional growth strategy group.
The group's co-leader, Rupert Holborow, divisional manager of MFAT's economic division in Wellington, said it was the third time in the past three years the ministry had brought back heads of mission from their overseas postings as a group. The diplomats spent three days in Wellington for ministerial and local business briefings, then different groups visited various regions across the country.
"The purpose of the outreach is to get an update on a particular region's contributions to exporting and also to help people understand where MFAT fits into the ecosystem of organisations that help exporters," said Mr Holborow.
Noting that it was a privilege to represent New Zealand overseas, Mr Holborow said the meetings provided an opportunity for the diplomats to meet with some fantastic innovative companies.