Small business Minister Stuart Nash to attend global SME conference organised by OECD

Stuart Nash, Minister of small business, revenue, fisheries and police. Photo / Paul Taylor

Small Business Minister Stuart Nash will tomorrow attend a small business conference in Mexico which will address productivity and growth.

Nash will chair a session of the conference, which is organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development Working Party on SMEs, and discuss policies to maximise the contribution of small and medium businesses.

The global conference is an opportunity for the Government to learn how other countries support their small businesses, Nash said.

"The Conference is a valuable way to learn from the successes and failures of our OECD partners, and to ensure we have effective policies for small businesses in New Zealand.

"[It] is a chance to explore new and innovative ideas with my counterparts overseas," he said.

"I am interested in discussing how other countries support small businesses in the regions to gain access to overseas markets. The Government has made a commitment to New Zealand's provinces. We want to help small businesses thrive in order to grow local economies and provide jobs for local people."

Nash has spent the last couple of days in the US discussing economic issues and law enforcement with US federal and state officials.

The conference is part of the OECD Bologna Process on SME and entrepreneurship policies, a follow on from the Bologna SME Ministerial Conference and the Istanbul SME Ministerial Conference held in 2004.

New Zealand has belonged to the OECD since 1973.