NZ's Expo showcase on the rise

By ANNE GIBSON


Construction of New Zealand's $8.5 million pavilion at the 2005 World Expo is well under way on the outskirts of Nagoya, in Japan.

Most structures on the 158ha former forest park site are up, including form work for three of the most dominant exhibits - the circular Toyota Group building, monolithic Hitachi Group pavilion and giant replica of Mt Fuji.

The gigantic building site, which will showcase 125 countries, is Japan's attempt to make up for creating what has been termed the world's ugliest industrial country.

Partly as an expression of regret for its environmental sins, Japan's Expo theme is "nature's wisdom", taking a former forest park on the outskirts of Japan's fourth-largest city, pulling an estimated 15 million visitors there next year, then returning the site to a parkland.

Builders face a hilly site in varying temperatures, working in the humid late summer in temperatures that soared above 30C last week and moving trees more than 2m high from the construction zone, with plans to return them to their original site after September.

Zespri International has committed about $290,000 to Expo in the Aichi prefecture.

Chief executive Tim Goodacre said Japan was Zespri's biggest market and he could think of no better platform to promote the company than Expo. He urged other exporters to get behind the event.

New Zealand ambassador to Japan Phillip Gibson said five sponsors, including Toyota, had been secured.

Gibson finishes his Tokyo post soon and has been appointed secretary-general for New Zealand's participation at Expo.

"By any yardstick, Japan is very, very wealthy," Gibson said, adding that Aichi prefecture's gross regional product of US$330 billion was more than six times New Zealand's.

Japan took more than 11 per cent of New Zealand exports worth nearly $4 billion, making it this country's third-largest trading partner.

"Expo is a practical way for New Zealand to lift its exposure in Japan and the world," Gibson said.

Tokyo-based Expo deputy secretary-general Hiroyuki Ioku said last week that despite the environmentally friendly theme, Greenpeace was not one of the organisations coming to Expo. He also admitted to being worried about conveying the concept of "nature's wisdom" but said 7.5 million tickets were presold.

Expo 2005

Expo 2005 is being built 20km east of Nagoya's central railway station.

Japan hopes to "bring a smile to the face of the Earth" with its eco-friendly theme.

About 7000 events will be held during 185 days next year.

Expo is projected to have combined costs and revenue of Y330 billion ($4.6 billion).

Work on New Zealand's pavilion in a global precinct is well under way.

Expo will run from March 25 to September 25.

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