Minister of Science and Technology Steven Joyce told the opening of leading edge hi-tech 3D metals printing facility Rapid Advance Manufacturing (RAM) today that he had "massive confidence" New Zealand would to continue to do well in the world economy, regardless of the election of Donald Trump as US president.
"There is no doubt it is going to be an interesting time in the world because he has a quite different view of the world, at least in his election campaign," he said at the opening of the new RAM facility in Tauriko.
"A lot of people worry about it, from an export perspective. My view is, that Americans get to choose their president, we don't. We respect their decision. I have massive confidence in the New Zealand export sector. We are small and we get to duck and weave and work the angles on how to succeed on the world stage. And generally we win, because we work out how best to approach it."
Mr Joyce said he saw major opportunities all around the world for New Zealand exporters at the moment, especially in the hi-tech sectors.
In a speech later in the day at the NZ Business Markets lunch, co-sponsored by the Tauranga Chamber of Commerce, he amplified his comments on the American election, noting that while it would mean changes, nobody yet knew what these would be.