ANZ's David Green says Brown's China Mission is an important initiative for building Auckland's commercial profile in China, an already significant, and growing, market for New Zealand products and services and a potential source of investment capital to support growth initiatives.
"Travelling to China with other companies as a group led by the mayor of New Zealand's largest city will create the scale and profile to secure access to key people and attention in a very large market, which is generally not possible alone," adds Green, who is ANZ's managing director Institutional NZ. "Auckland companies joining the mission will have the opportunity to develop a much better appreciation of what is happening in China, the implications for the Auckland region and the opportunities for them."
The NZ Transport Agency has also invited Brown to join two of its senior managers who will soon head up to China and Hong Kong to look at cutting edge multi-modal harbour tunnels. "I have got my first visit to China coming up in November and that will be to Shanghai to scope with NZTA their tunnelling options. We have three potential tunnels in Auckland so there is major, major work to be done."
On that visit, Brown also expects to meet prime Chinese funders interested in investing in Auckland's transport infrastructure. The China Development Bank, which recently signed an MOU with the NZ branch of PricewaterhouseCoopers, has already scouted options in Auckland. "I am sure we will meet with the potential financiers and look at what they are offering as well as listening to European financiers, Australians, and Americans." Brown says. "There are obvious benefits to come from the infrastructure discussion and the funding discussion. Then of course we are looking to get capital investment through from the Chinese interests into our new high tech sector."
The NZTA-mission will be led by Tommy Parker, State Highways Manager Auckland and Northland. It includes Auckland Transport's Chief Infrastructure Officer, Kevin Doherty. The main purpose is to look at Chinese infrastructure projects, focusing on tunnelling, roading and rail public transport projects. Though the Waterview project has already been signed off, plans for a CBD rail tunnel and third harbour crossing are still at the drawing board stage.
In China, the delegation will visit the Shanghai Changjiang tunnel and bridge development project. Named the Changjiang Tunnel-Bridge Expressway it consists of an 8.9km tunnel between Shanghai's Pudong area and a small island, then a 10km cable stay bridge to the large Chongming Island. The bridge and tunnel provide 3+3 traffic lanes and two rail lines.
The tunnel was constructed by a tunnel boring machine from Herrenknecht of Germany and has a diameter of 15.43m; this allowed a finished inner diameter tunnel of 13.7m.
In Hong Kong, the group will look at the tunnel operations centre at the Western Harbour Crossing, and visit the Eastern harbour road and rail project.
Brown will also take the opportunity to pay a courtesy call on Auckland's partner city, Guangzhou, and look at some of its mass transit projects. He hopes to catch up with Chinese companies like China Southern Airlines which plans to step up its thrice-weekly flights from Guangzhou to Auckland to daily from November 1.
"There will be meetings with a number of other Chinese entities who are showing considerable interest in investing in our city and the nation."
Brown stresses it is time for Auckland to recognises the maturing relationship with China in a cultural, social and business sense. "And also it's time for Auckland to be open for business to the world."'
The international approach is not confined to China. Brown plans to use a similar engagement model with other potential foreign direct investment partners from Australia and other parts of Asia such as India and Korea.
