A weeklong workshop being held in Rarotonga focuses on ways to help export Cook Islands products to New Zealand and other overseas markets.

New Zealand High Commissioner to the Cook Islands, Tui Dewes said she would like to see more of Cook Islands commodities being exported to Aotearoa New Zealand.

Speaking at the opening of the Enhanced Pacific Market Access Partnership (EPMAP) and Phytosanitary Certificate System Workshop yesterday, Dewes said she was pleased such a workshop is taking place.

She said she would love to see more of Cook Islands’ wonderful produce make its way over to Aotearoa.

“Not only because I’d like to be able to have it myself when I am back home but also because Aotearoa will do all it can to support Cook Islands economic recovery post Covid and ongoing prosperity.”

Dewes said the first of the four-year training programme has the potential to help strengthen the Cook Islands economy.

“This four-year programme will provide market intelligence and help strengthen export assurance systems across the Pacific, help increase exports, and enhance the income and livelihoods of farmers and exporters who send fresh produce to Aotearoa. “

She said just under $1 million funding was given specifically to support the Cook Islands in this project.

“As it stands there are some 30 approved pathways for fresh produce from the Cook Islands to be exported to Aotearoa. Eight of these have never been used and four have been used at some stage but have been discontinued,” said Dewes.

“I’d like to see other products like avocado exported to Aotearoa.”

Paul Lynch with his famous hot chilli sauce on display at the workshop. 23041710

New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (NZMPI) senior advisor Nacanieli Waqa said the project marked an important day for the bilateral relations between the two countries.

Waqa said the weeklong programme would allow all participants from the private and public sectors to have discussions and to hear from each other on how they can progress and improve trade especially exports from Cook Islands to New Zealand.

He said through the course of the workshop, participants will hear the improvements – how NZMPI have improved the system to facilitate trade from all countries that they partner with, especially from Pacific Island countries including Cook Islands.

“This workshop is not a one-off workshop, it is the beginning of so many engagements,” Waqa said.

“We are happy that we have the private sector represented this week, one of the big changes in this project is private and public partnership, how we collaborate with the private and government sector in how to improve and facilitate trade. This workshop will help bring the networking and participatory engagement for the Cook Islands.”

New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (NZMPI) senior advisor Nacanieli Waqa. CPhoto: LOSIRENE LACANIVALU / 23041712

Cook Islands Ministry of Agriculture secretary Temarama Anguna-Kamana said she agreed with the New Zealand High Commissioner in terms of increasing commodities sent to New Zealand.

“We do want to increase the commodities that we send to New Zealand and I hope that this workshop will provide the first step or pathway to allow us to do this with public and private partnership, our growers and exporters. We want that to increase going forward.”

Anguna-Kamana said she knows that the ministry has been criticised for not focusing on exports.

However, she stressed there were biosecurity requirements to get the product into New Zealand and Australian markets.

“We hope that through this workshop we will share the knowledge that we’ll receive from NZMPI so that we all understand and it does not fall back on the Ministry to be told or to be known that we are stopping the exports.

“We need to work with our growers as well as NZMPI to ensure that what we send to New Zealand is accepted in the market and that we have the supply to maintain the export of those commodities to New Zealand.

“It would be not beneficial to say we can export, and one month later we don’t have anything to send to New Zealand.”

Anguna-Kamana said she hoped the workshop would allow the participants to understand the processes involved in sending local produce to New Zealand and identifying other overseas markets.

The workshop held at the Muri Beach Club Hotel will end on Friday.