Last week I had the opportunity to chat with Lawrence Meredith, European Union Ambassador to New Zealand.

He was in town to speak to the local branch of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, with about one hundred folks turning out for his remarks. Impressive!

For our chat Ambassador Meredith had one message to deliver: The European Union is our friend, and in these troubled times across the global landscape, friends need to stick together capitalising on their shared values. 

I took that as diplomatic speak for: Whatever that turkey in the White House does, the EU-NZ relationship endures.

He focused on trade to make his point, noting that in the one year since the EU-NZ Free Trade Agreement went live it has already boosted trade over NZ$1 billion for New Zealand exporters.

That’s especially good news for Hawke’s Bay, given that over 90% of our food production is exported.

For NZ as a whole, the EU is our biggest customer for arable exports (taking 44% of those), sits as number two for our horticulture exports (16%, barely behind China), and number three for both seafood (16%) and meat and wool (14%), sitting behind China and the US in those two sectors.

Fresh from hosting an EU exhibition at Feilding’s Field Days, Ambassador Meredith spoke of his own boyhood farming credentials and was rather gushing in his admiration of NZ farmers’ persistent innovation. He insists that smart use of productivity-enhancing on-farm technology will ensure continuing growth of NZ’s food producing sector. ‘Peak’ apples or meat? Not a chance.

I tried – and failed (he was too much the polished diplomat) – to get some cautionary comments about the durability of NZ’s ‘clean green’ image in Europe. He sees NZ growers as very aligned with the expectations of European consumers, and he doesn’t foresee any relaxation of those expectations. He does view that those market forces inevitably will drive food producers’ practices, conceding that the agribiz sector’s leadership might appreciate that reality before the grassroots practitioners.

So, all in all, and not surprisingly, a skillful ambassador/communicator unwavering in his message: I come in friendship!