New Zealand government-owned AsureQuality and PwC New Zealand have signed a collaboration framework agreement with China Mengniu Dairy Company Limited and COFCO Corporation to investigate the development of a China New Zealand agribusiness service and Food Safety Centre of Excellence in China.
Initially AsureQuality and PwC will work with Mengniu and COFCO on a dairy-related food safety and farm assurance project. As the partnership evolves it is expected that additional New Zealand commercial and research entities with expertise in other areas of the agricultural sector will be brought in.
"This agreement acknowledges the expertise held by AsureQuality, and the benefits that formal collaboration offers for us, and potentially the wider New Zealand agribusiness sector, in the Chinese market,” said AsureQuality's CEO Michael Thomas. “We believe this partnership agreement will enable New Zealand’s world-class food safety models, agricultural systems and skill sets to be provided on a commercial basis in China.”
“As we sign this agreement today, we acknowledge the inaugural New Zealand China Council Partnership Forum led by the Prime Minister John Key, the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations, and the fifth anniversary of the China New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, all of which reinforce the strong relationship between New Zealand and China.”
The partnership also has the support of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) and is the result of extensive research work commissioned by NZTE and carried out by PwC in 2012 to identify international opportunities for New Zealand’s agribusiness sector. In addition, agritechnology is a sector of focus for New Zealand in China, as outlined in the NZ Inc China Strategy.
