Queenstown Lakes Mayor Explains Decision to Attend Shanghai Expo

May 9, 2010
Brian Cross

China Shanghai Expo 2010 Mascot - Photo by Brian Cross

On 10 May 2010 the Otago Daily Times reported on an upcoming mayoral visit to China, a unique opportunity to leverage New Zealand's presence at Expo 2010.

New Zealand's Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Clive Geddes will join a delegation of Otago local government and business leaders to China later this month. There they will attend three days of meetings and functions in the New Zealand pavilion at Expo 2010.

Geddes is enthusiastic about the trip, telling the ODT that "access to the type of people we are scheduled to meet in one place, over a short space of time, can only be facilitated through introductions associated with an event of the scale and nature of the Shanghai Expo.”

A High-Ranking Official Delegation

The delegation will include Dunedin mayor Peter Chin. Dunedin and Shanghai have an active sister city relationship, a key factor in ensuring the presence at discussions of the mayor of Shanghai and other top-ranking officials, business and education leaders.

This visit is exactly what New Zealand organisers has been aiming to achieve in the way they have planned and delivered New Zealand’s Expo 2010 presence. The pavilion is succeeding in giving the general public visitor a great and memorable New Zealand experience as they pass through it by the thousands. Not only that, it also has the facilities to cater for the highest level of community and corporate exchange that the country is counting on for achieving greater things in the future.

A Unique Relationship-Building Opportunity

Geddes told OTD reporter Henrietta Kjaer that the trip is a "unique and unprecedented" opportunity to establish links with the Chinese and “leave them with an entirely positive view of what we as a community have to offer both to visitors and investment."

There may however be a hint of defensiveness in Geddes’ statement, as he explains he has only ever been on one other ratepayer-funded overseas trip. He said that Queensland Lakes councillors had given their support for the idea. "I would not be going on this trip to China if I did not think it was worthwhile," he told the ODT.

The trip is reported as costing Queenstown Lakes ratepayers between $6,000 and $8,000. The merits of these trips are inevitably questioned by some, often justifiably. But this is a paltry investment if the trip is managed well and there is strong follow-up by the business community itself.

Expo Benefits Will Require Hard Work

Geddes is realistic about the outcomes, and he needs to be. Expo 2010 is a massive event and even the most focused officials of the host city will have plenty of distractions as they enjoy the best New Zealand food and drink, are entertained by the superb kapa haka performers and are informed on all the great attributes of New Zealand as a place to visit and do business. For a delegation such as this Otago one, the visit will not be about doing deals, but about establishing and building relationships for future use by the generators of economic activity.

Alastair Porter, chairman of Queenstown Chamber of Commerce said in the same OTD report that the visit would be good for economic development in Queenstown Lakes. "The idea of the delegation sounds positive. We will have to rely on the judgment of the mayor and the council about the benefits to the business community."

Porter also may need to enthuse his members about leveraging Geddes’ access to important Chinese leaders. The benefits will come later when the community does its business. The mayor’s job is to open the door that commercial and non-commercial interests can then walk through. To assist them, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise has a wealth of expert advice on building relationships with China.

Also in the delegation are Clutha District Mayor Juno Hayes and members of the Otago business and education sectors. Geddes told the OTD that during his eight-day trip he would also attend a series of meetings outside the Expo site that will have a specific focus on business and visitor opportunities in the Queenstown Lakes District.