Trade NZ defends role

Trade New Zealand has defended its role in China after criticism from an executive of meat company Affco.

Affco general manager of business development Peter Wethey said he could not understand why the company failed to get a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade business development grant three years ago when it began investigating the prospects for beef processing in China.

He also criticised Trade New Zealand's emphasis in China on educational exchanges and said the agency's efforts appeared to wane the further a project was from its Beijing base. Affco's joint venture meat plant is in Chengdu, in western Sichuan province.

Yesterday, Trade New Zealand chief executive Fran Wilde defended Beijing staff.

"Our trade commissioner, Jim Tait, has been in Beijing for only 10 months and has already made nine substantial visits to other areas of China, while his staff have made a further eight during the same period."

Affco chief executive Ross Townshend said the company had chosen not to directly commission work from Trade New Zealand for the Chengdu project as it had several of its own people in the market. The company had used the agency in other countries and he said its experience of it was generally very positive.