“We are trying to open up India as well,” he said.
“We want New Zealand apples to be sold into India without a disadvantage to Australian apples, for example.”
He said the success of businesses like Rockit relied on getting into markets around the world.
“Many of these other countries – whether it’s India or Southeast Asian countries – they are lifting their standard of living and lifting people out of poverty and into the middle classes.
“When you get to the middle class, all of a sudden you have money, you have a house, you have income, and you have better quality food and beverages.
“That is where New Zealand comes in because while we feed 40 million people out of New Zealand with our products, there is just huge opportunity.”
At a lunch event in Napier, Luxon also spoke to business leaders about the potential India has as a trade partner with its growing affluence.
He said the visit to Hawke’s Bay was largely about visiting local businesses and hearing from business leaders, as well as sharing what the Government was trying to do to lift the economy.
“And I have huge admiration for what has happened here and the resilience of the people and what they have achieved – so it’s great to be here.”
He spoke to business leaders on a range of topics from the need to improve school attendance in Hawke’s Bay, to the need to make regulations simpler – such as through Resource Management Act reform – to make it easier to progress infrastructure projects.
Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.
