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A Mexican trade mission to New Zealand last week continued an economic courtship with the northern American country.
ProMexico chief executive Bruno Ferrari says the mission was a follow-up to a visit last year by Mexican President Felipe Calderon Hinojosa.
"The best way of knowing each other is visiting each other," Ferrari says.
"It's like when you are trying to meet a lady ... You don't mention some things until you know each other."
The courtship is going well.
Trade with Mexico has grown from US$183 million in 2000 to US$543 million in 2007, with more than US$400 million in exports from New Zealand.
Trade is increasing, although about 60 per cent of New Zealand's exports are related to dairy products, and 30 per cent of Mexico's trade is in beverages such as Corona beer and tequila, Ferrari says.
The two countries still do not know that much about each other, he says.
South America, too, is an area of increasing interest for New Zealand, especially through NZ Farming Systems Uruguay and Fonterra's ownership of Soprole in Chile.
"That [farming] is probably the area in which we need to know more about each other," Ferrari says.
Lack of trade opportunities probably arises from some commercial players not knowing each other, he adds.
It is not just a question of which country invests or exports; Ferrari is thinking about partnerships.
"We are seeing areas, industries and even companies here that could be interested in the free trade that we have with 44 countries that represent ... 75 per cent of the [gross domestic product] in the world," he says.
"If you base some companies in Mexico ... it would be a big benefit to export to the US and also into Europe as well."
NZX-listed breathing-products maker Fisher & Paykel Healthcare has signalled that Mexico is the front runner for a new manufacturing operation.
The company was among those to meet the Mexican mission, which included 25 people from a range of industries and academia.
The Mexican Administration has launched an infrastructure programme for highways, railways, airports and ports worth about US$250 billion, Ferrari says.
The global economic slowdown has affected Mexico, but the country is growing.
"It's like always, whenever you have a possible crisis you have for sure a possible opportunity, and we're taking advantage of that."
