Joyce confident NZ exporters will do well despite Trump

Minister of Science and Technology Steven Joyce told the opening of leading edge hi-tech 3D metals printing facility Rapid Advance Manufacturing (RAM) today that he had "massive confidence" New Zealand would to continue to do well in the world economy, regardless of the election of Donald Trump as US president.

"There is no doubt it is going to be an interesting time in the world because he has a quite different view of the world, at least in his election campaign," he said at the opening of the new RAM facility in Tauriko.

"A lot of people worry about it, from an export perspective. My view is, that Americans get to choose their president, we don't. We respect their decision. I have massive confidence in the New Zealand export sector. We are small and we get to duck and weave and work the angles on how to succeed on the world stage. And generally we win, because we work out how best to approach it."

Mr Joyce said he saw major opportunities all around the world for New Zealand exporters at the moment, especially in the hi-tech sectors.

In a speech later in the day at the NZ Business Markets lunch, co-sponsored by the Tauranga Chamber of Commerce, he amplified his comments on the American election, noting that while it would mean changes, nobody yet knew what these would be.

"That creates a little bit of uncertainty in the world, but I am actually really bullish about this country in that context," he said.

"New Zealand post the GFC has done very well relative to the OECD, with growth this last year at 3.5 per cent." The Reserve Bank was predicting similar growth for the next two years, he said.

"If that comes to pass , New Zealand would be one of the strongest -performing OECD economies since the GFC, he said.

In his comments at the RAM opening - attended by about 60 people including clients and business supporters, as well as Mayor Greg Brownless, Tauranga MP Simon Bridges and Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller - Mr Joyce described the event as an opening he had insisted on attending.

"This [3D metals printing] technology is one great example of how clever Kiwi companies are. I am pretty excited about it."

RAM is the commercial arm that has grown out of the research organisation Titanium Industry Development Association (TiDA), originally established in 2008 and led by Warwick Downing, who is now chief executive of RAM.

RAM chairwoman Beppe Holm said the company's goal was to have 20 of the hi-tech 3D metals printing machines operating in the facility by 2020.

"We definitely have aspirations to grow, both to meet the demands of our existing customers and also to grow our customer base. Our goal is very much to become the leading Australasian provider of 3D printing using powdered metals."