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Peru is a focus country under the Government’s Latin America Strategy. The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding establishing formal foreign policy talks in May 1998. The first two rounds of talks took place in Lima in June 2002 and July 2004, with further rounds in Wellington in November 2005 and in Lima in October 2006.
Trade has been a key element in the Peru-New Zealand relationship. Peru has been a significant market for New Zealand dairy products, although a recent decline in dairy exports has seen overall trade figures fall sharply as milk production has risen in Peru. New Zealand exports to Peru to the year June 2008 increased significantly, however, to NZ$54.59 million. Imports from Peru also increased to June 2008, to $20.53 million. Peru is New Zealand’s 4th largest export market in Latin America. New Zealand exports to Peru to the year to June 2009 were NZ$35,6, while New Zealand imports from Peru in the same period were NZ$28,41 million million.
President Obama announced on 14 November that the United States will engage with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) countries “with the goal of shaping a regional agreement that will have broad-based membership and the high standards worthy of a 21st century trade agreement”. While the negotiation will be of wide interest as a route to a more open trade relationship with the US, from a larger perspective its greatest potential is as a pathfinder for wider regional economic integration.
The Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (TPP, previously known as ‘P4’) between Brunei Darussalam, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore was signed in 2005 and came into force for those countries in 2006. A binding Environment Cooperation Agreement and a binding Labour Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding, which had been negotiated as part of the TPP package, were signed concurrently.
The first round of negotiations to expand the TPP to include the United States, Australia, Peru and Viet Nam will take place in March 2010.
The TPP has emerged as having potential as a platform for a regional trade agreement and is expected to expand further in future. The current participants agree on the need to maintain and improve upon the standards and comprehensiveness of the existing Agreement (P4). This is important for the longer-term goal of achieving a high-quality regional agreement.
Read more on the TransPac page of this website.
An agreement on cooperation in agricultural health matters between the Peruvian agricultural agency, SENASA, and the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture was signed in June 2002 during the visit by the NewZealand Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade to Peru.
Peru was a signatory to the Multilateral Agreement on the Liberalisation of International Air Transport, which entered into force in 2002, along with NewZealand. However, Peru announced in 2004 its decision to withdraw from the agreement. New Zealand has since sought to re-activate an "open skies" air services agreement that was negotiated with Peru in 1999, but never signed.
In October 2004 New Zealand soprano Dame Malvina Major gave a concert in Lima. In July 2006, Chief Executive of New Zealand’s national museum, TePapaTongarewa, Dr Seddon Bennington, visited Peru’s foremost museums to discuss potential cultural cooperation.
New Zealand tertiary training institute Unitec signed a statement of agreement with the Peruvian University of Applied Sciences in 2004.
AucklandUniversity (The APEC Studies Centre) has links with the Universidaddel Pacífico, which also hosts an APEC Study Centre.
Victoria University of Wellington ran a pilot English language training programme on behalf of New Zealand’s Agency for International Development for 30 Peruvian government officials in 2006-07. There were 37 fee-paying Peruvians studying in New Zealand in 2007.
New Zealand contributed to a joint presentation with Peru at the January 2008 APEC preparatory symposium in China on the theme 'Education to Achieve 21st Century Competencies and Skills for All'.
New Zealand and Peru signed a working holiday agreement during the APEC leaders’ meeting in Peru in November 2008. The scheme came into effect from 1 August 2009 and enables 100 young Peruvians and New Zealanders to travel to the other country each year to travel, study (one or more courses of up to 3 months’ duration) and work to finance their travel (for up to 3 months with the same employer).
New Zealand and Peru are both members of APEC and the Cairns Group and cooperate where there are shared interests in the World Trade Organisation and United Nations.
In 1989 Peru acquired the status of Antarctic Treaty Consultative Party with NewZealand support.
An agreement for technical cooperation on fisheries between Peru’s Maritime Institute (IMARPE) and the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (IGNS) was signed in May 1998.
In 2005 IMARPE signed a cooperation agreement with New Zealand NGO Southern Seabirds Solutions to mitigate by-catch of seabirds in fishing practice.
Peru recently participated in the negotiations to establish a South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation.
Peru and New Zealand are cooperating to address greenhouse gas emissions in the agricultural sector through the Livestock Emissions and Abatement Research Network (LEARN) and as members of the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse Gases.
During the late 1970s New Zealand funded a pasture development project in the highlands of southern Peru based around the town of Puno. Current NewZealand development assistance includes post-graduate scholarships for Peruvian students to study in New Zealand, short term training awards, and a head of mission fund for small-scale, community-based projects. In July 1999 the Government waived outstanding debts of US$5million as a result of trade credits extended in the 1970s.
A revised Latin America development programme of New Zealand’s Agency for International Development (NZAID) includes the Andean sub-region of Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador as one of its areas of focus, with thematic priorities being sustainable rural development and good governance. The programme is supporting two multilateral agencies who are working to improve the livelihoods of poor farming communities in Andean Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador:
Several New Zealand ministers and senior officials have visited Peru during its hosting of APEC in 2008. Prime Minister John Key attended the APEC Leaders Summit meeting in Lima in November 2008, together the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon Murray McCully and Minister of Trade, Hon Tim Groser, who also attended the APEC Annual Ministers Meetings held immediately prior to the Leaders’ Summit. Hon Chris Carter, MinisterofEducation attended the APEC Education Ministers in Lima in June. Hon Phil Goff, Minister of Trade, visited Arequipa in May 2008 to attend the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting. Mr Ray Salter, CEO of the MinistryofTourism, attended the APEC Tourism Ministers’ meeting also in Lima in April 2008.
Hon Jim Sutton, Roving Ambassador for Trade, visited Lima in October 2006 to encourage Peru to consider accession to the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (P4).
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Hon Phil Goff visited Peru in January 2002. Minister Goff made a joint declaration on bilateral cooperation with his Peruvian counterpart, Diego Garcia-Sayan, and signed an agreement on Antarctic cooperation with Peru.
Hon. Jim Sutton, Minister of Agriculture and Minister for Trade Negotiations attended the Presidential Inauguration of Alejandro Toledo in July 2001.
Prime Minister Shipley visited Peru in May 1999 as part of an APEC focused visit to Chile, Peru and Mexico. Minister for International Trade, Dr. Lockwood Smith, visited Peru in July 1999, and Minister of Agriculture John Luxton visited in August 1999.
Foreign Minister Rt Hon Don McKinnon’s visit to Peru in May 1998 was the first ever visit there by a New Zealand Foreign Minister.
The National Director of SENASA visited New Zealand in April 2006 to hold talks with Biosecurity New Zealand and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Foreign Minister de Trazegnies met with New Zealand Foreign Minister McKinnon in Wellington in January 1999 after attending a Ministerial-on-Ice in Antarctica, and both President Fujimori and de Trazegnies returned to NewZealand in September 1999 for the APEC meetings in Auckland.
President Fujimori made the first State visit by a Peruvian President to NewZealand in June 1998.
| Official Name | República de Perú |
| Land Area | 1,285,216 sq km |
| Population | 29.46 million (2010 estimate, Peruvian National Institute of Statistics) |
| Capital City | Lima |
| Religion | Catholic (81.33%) (2007 census) |
| Official Language | Spanish |
| Currency | Peru Nuevos Soles |
| Exchange Rate | US$1 = 2.87 Soles (24 February2010)
NZ$1 = 2 Pero Nuevos Soles |
| Political system | Presidential democracy |
| National government | Alan Garcia Peréz leads the government; his party, the Partido Aprista Peruano (Apra), has 36 of 120 seats in Congress |
| National legislature | Congress consists of a 120-member single chamber, which can be dissolved once during a presidential term |
| Last election | April 2006 |
| Next election due | April 2011 |
| Head of State | Alan García Pérez |
| First Vice-President | Luis Alejandro Giampietri |
| Head of Government | Ángel Javier Velásquez |
Key Ministers - as at 24 February 2010
| Agriculture: | Dante Adolfo de Córdova |
| Defence: | Rafael Rey |
| Economy & finance: | Mercedes Rosalba Aráoz |
| Education: | José Antonio Chang |
| Energy & mining: | Pedro Sánchez |
| Environment: | Antonio Brack |
| Foreign relations: | José Antonio García Belaunde |
| Health: | Oscar Ugarte |
| Housing, construction & sanitation: | Juan Sarmiento |
| Interior: | Octavio Edilberto Salazar |
| International trade & tourism: | Martin Perez |
| Justice: | Aurelio Pastor |
| Labour: | Manuela Esperanza García |
| Production: | José Nicanor Gonzales |
| Transport & communications: | Enrique Javier Cornejo |
| Women & social development: | Nidia Vilchez |
| Central Bank president: | Julio Velarde |
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
| GDP | 127.6 | 125.5 | 133.8 |
| Nominal GDP (US$ bn) | 127.6 | 125.5 | 133.8 |
| Nominal GDP (Ns bn) | 373 | 391 | 419 |
| Real GDP growth (%) | 9.8 | 1.3 | 2.5 |
| Expenditure on GDP (% real change) | |||
| Private consumption | 8.8 | 1.8 | 2.2 |
| Government consumption | 3.9 | 9.4 | 7.2 |
| Gross fixed investment | 24.8 | -4.1 | 1.2 |
| Exports of goods & services | 8.2 | -6.9 | 1.3 |
| Imports of goods & services | 19.9 | -7.7 | 1.2 |
| Origin of GDP (% real change) | |||
| Agriculture | 6.7 | 2.1 | 3.5 |
| Industry | 8 | -2.5 | 3.2 |
| Services | 11 | 2.8 | 2.1 |
| Population and income | |||
| Population (m) | 29.1 | 29.4 | 29.8 |
| GDP per head (US$ at PPP) | 8,458 | 8,517 | 8,644 |
| Recorded unemployment (av; %) | 8.1 | 9 | 8.7 |
| Fiscal indicators (% of GDP) | |||
| Public-sector balance | 2.3 | -1.6 | -0.5 |
| Public-sector debt interest payments | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| Net public debt | 24.5 | 25 | 23.9 |
| Prices and financial indicators | |||
| Exchange rate Ns:US$ (end-period) | 3.14 | 3.12 | 3.16 |
| Exchange rate ¥:Ns (end-period) | 28.92 | 30.73 | 29.77 |
| Consumer prices (av; % change) | 5.8 | 4.1 | 3.1 |
| Producer prices (av; % change) | 8.9 | 1 | 2.5 |
| Stock of money M1 (% change) | 10.5 | 4.8 | 7.3 |
| Stock of money M2 (% change) | 23.2 | 9.9 | 5.9 |
| Lending interest rate (av; %) | 23.7 | 20 | 21.5 |
| Current account (US$ m) | |||
| Trade balance | 3,090 | -2,103 | -1,612 |
| Goods: exports fob | 31,529 | 20,688 | 22,116 |
| Goods: imports fob | -28,439 | -22,791 | -23,728 |
| Services balance | -1,929 | -1,726 | -1,831 |
| Income balance | -8,144 | -6,158 | -6,458 |
| Current transfers balance | 2,803 | 3,042 | 3,245 |
| Current-account balance | -4,180 | -6,946 | -6,657 |
| External debt (US$ m) | |||
| Debt stock | 34,940 | 33,675 | 34,242 |
| Debt service paid | 5,451 | 5,215 | 4,415 |
| Principal repayments | 4,335 | 4,351 | 3,528 |
| International reserves (US$ m) | |||
| Total international reserves | 31,254 | 27,848 | 26,532 |
| Source: IMF, International Financial Statistics. | |||
| (c) Economist Intelligence Unit 2009 | |||
Trade with New Zealand
| NZ Exports (FOB) | NZ$ 35,6 million (for year ended June 2009) |
| Main Exports | Milk and cream NZ$11.31million |
| Malt extracts NZ$8.96 million | |
| Butter and other fats, oils derived from milk NZ$7.26million | |
| Buttermilk, curdled milk and cream, yoghurt, kepphir, NZ$3.74 million | |
| Games; funfair, table or parlour, articles including for casino games and bowling alley equipment NZ$0.94million | |
| NZ Imports (CIF) | NZ$ 28,41million (for year ended June 2009) |
| Main Imports | Furskin Apparel NZ$8.03million |
| Wooden railway sleepers NZ$6.9 million | |
| Boron Oxides, Boric acids NZ$0.96 million | |
| Fertilizer NZ$1.61million | |
| Prepared or preserved fish NZ$1.3million |
Source: Statistics New Zealand
The New Zealand Embassy in Chile is also responsible for Peru.
The Peruvian Embassy in Australia is responsible for New Zealand.
The New Zealand government's Safe Travel website has comprehensive travel information including advice on the safety and security of travel to Peru.
Further enquiries may be directed to:
Consular Division
Tel: +64 4 439 8000
Fax: +64 4 439 8532
