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New Zealand|Politics

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in New York: The Late Show and business

5 minutes to read
PM Jacinda Ardern kicked off the first day of her US trip with The Late Show, business and tourism. Video / Claire Trevett

PM Jacinda Ardern kicked off the first day of her US trip with The Late Show, business and tourism. Video / Claire Trevett

NZ Herald
By Claire Trevett in New York

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern kicked off her day by sitting around the table with travel editors in a bid to re-open New Zealand to the world.

Speaking in New York, Ardern said Aotearoa is "open for business" and noted there had been particular interest in the direct flight from New York to Auckland.

She also sat down with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Ardern said they discussed the conflict in Ukraine, climate change and more broadly the role New Zealand could play in reform.

She said New Zealand would constantly call on peace and stability for our country as tensions rise between the United States and China.

"We would constantly seek for de-escalation," she said.

"We don't want militarisation, we don't want escalation, we want peace and stability."
She said there was a range of factors at play when asked who was responsible for the rising tension between United States and China

Ardern did not have an update on whether she will meet US President Joe Biden but said officials were working hard to secure her a meeting.

Ardern will this morning appear on The Late Show in New York as she winds up the first day of her United States trip - something she said she will approach with trepidation.

She arrived in New York yesterday afternoon and is spending her first day in a whirlwind of meetings and events.

Her first event was a meeting early this morning with travel editors from some of the biggest publishers in the United States - including Conde Nast, the New York Times, Forbes Magazine and NBC News.

She said this meeting went well.

Ardern arrived with her partner, Clarke Gayford, and Trade Minister Damien O'Connor.

It will be capped off by her fourth stint with Stephen Colbert on The Late Show late this morning - provided she can pass a Covid PCR test beforehand, after only recently recovering from it.

It will be her fourth appearance on the show, one of which was in New Zealand. Colbert is a fan of New Zealand, and visited in 2019 to film a series for his show.

Ardern picked him up from the airport for that - but the borders closed a few months after that show aired.

It is yet to be confirmed whether Ardern has secured a White House meeting with US President Joe Biden at the end of her trip, but there is optimism that will be confirmed and tagged on to the end of her trip.

It is Ardern's first visit to the US since the 2019 UN General Assembly. Early today, Ardern is also due to meet with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, a discussion that was likely to cover Ukraine and climate-change measures.

She and a business delegation have this morning attended a US Chamber of Commerce event alongside BlackRock chairman Larry Fink and Myron Brilliant - the executive Vice President of the US Chamber of Commerce. BlackRock is a massive investment management company which now has more than $10 trillion dollars in assets - dwarfing NZ's GDP of $350 billion.

As Ardern emerged from the meeting at Blackrock, she said her day was "busy but fantastic."

There was also an event for New Zealand company Silver Fern Farms, to launch a new Zero Carbon beef product.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Stephen Colbert on The Late Show in September 2019. Photo / Supplied, CBS
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Stephen Colbert on The Late Show in September 2019. Photo / Supplied, CBS

Ardern said the tourism and business elements of the trip were just critical as the political as she embarks on what she calls her "reopening" tours.

"I'll be taking a simple message: that we are open for business and, of course, that we're open for recreation, especially as US visitors will begin to make their plans now to arrive in time for our summer."

She said other countries were also trying to get into the US market - and take US tourists - so it was important to do what she could to give New Zealand any advantage.

"I want to make sure US businesses, tourists, and skilled workers have New Zealand at the forefront of their minds."

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Ardern's own trip had to be delayed by two days because of her Covid-19, but Ardern left New Zealand late on Monday night to catch up with the rest of her delegation, who are travelling on the Royal NZ Air Force Boeing around the country.

Ardern will wind up her her day in New York at about lunchtime - she will then travel to Washington DC to meet with senior members of Congress before flying on to Boston to deliver her address to the Harvard University Commencement Ceremony.

That will take place in the early hours of Friday morning, NZ time.

Ardern will also travel to Seattle and San Francisco where her visits will focus on technology.

Her meetings there include the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, as well as executives from Microsoft, Amazon and Twitter. Both Microsoft and Amazon are investing in cloud computing services in New Zealand.