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New Zealand and Canada have long enjoyed close and friendly relations. Our shared Commonwealth heritage, parliamentary, legal, social and defence traditions, as well as people to people contacts engender a similar world view and we tend to identify with each other’s interests, concerns and values.
New Zealand works with Canada in the WTO to further international trade liberalisation and development and to reinforce a sound rules-based system for world trade. Canada and New Zealand are also both members of APEC, promoting regional integration in the Asia Pacific region based on free and open markets. However, Canada’s supply management policy, under which certain agricultural products (notably dairy) receive protection, are of some concern to New Zealand.
In the year to July 2011 Canada was our 18th largest trading partner (NZ$1.1 billion) with total exports of NZ$551 million. New Zealand export figures to Canada may be higher as some products are re-exported to Canada via the United States and not reflected in official statistics. New Zealand exports to Canada consist of mainly beef, sheep meat, wine and peptones. Under Canada’s supply management policies, our dairy exports can face high tariffs (250-300%) and beef exports are subject to quotas.
Canada is also a high value added market for New Zealand exporters, including in specialised manufacturing, ICT, food products and wine. Canada is also a growing market for trade and investment opportunities for New Zealand. Key areas for opportunities are: Health IT; wood/building products; agile technology (ICT, specialised manufacturing, clean technology); specialty food & beverages; and agritech. There is also scope to increase collaboration in research, science and technology in these areas.
In a positive development, New Zealand, together with Australia, has been identified as one of 13 priority markets under Canada’s Global Commerce Strategy. (The other priority markets are ASEAN, Brazil, China, the EU, India, Japan, Korea, Latin America and the Caribbean, Russia, and US/Mexico). The priority sectors for the New Zealand market are biotechnology, agri-technology, ICT, environmental technology and health industries.
Imports from Canada were worth NZ$517 million in the year ending July 2011. Major imported items in 2011 included fertilisers, pork, stamps, turbo jets, sulphur and timber.
Canada maintains a Trade Commission Office in Auckland. There is a New Zealand Trade and Enterprise office in Vancouver. In Auckland and Vancouver there is an active Canada New Zealand Business Association; and in 2008 resident New Zealanders formed a Kiwi Expatriates Abroad (KEA) Chapter in Toronto [external links].
There are some Canadian investors in New Zealand, most notably McCains (frozen foods) and communications company Stratos Global Corporation. New Zealand companies in Canada include Tait Electronics, Michael Hill Jeweller, Peace Software Glidepath, Orion, Interhealth, Healthphone, Intuto, Kahui Tautoko Ltd and Gallagher Security Management Systems.
There are New Zealand and Australasian social clubs for expatriate New Zealanders in many of the major cities across Canada including Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto.
The 1987 Agreement on Film and Video Relations between the two countries has been successful. Film and television cooperation has been growing, with particular interest in indigenous film linkages and co-productions. There is a recent but ongoing pattern of producers’ missions between Canada, and New Zealand and Australia. New Zealand film 'Whale Rider' won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival in 2002, and nine out of ten top-grossing centres in North America for 'Lord of the Rings' were in Canada.
Exact numbers of New Zealanders living in Canada are not clear, as immigrants tend to blend into the host society. An unofficial 2005 estimate of the number of New Zealanders (including those born outside of New Zealand) in Canada ranges from 12,000 to 15,000, with most living in British Columbia and Alberta.
There is a regular exchange of teachers with New Zealand organised through provincial authorities (Ontario and British Columbia). Wide ranges of tertiary institutions have relations with counterparts. These include formal university-to-university agreements involving both staff and in some cases the exchange of students for part of their courses. Both countries take a similar approach to marketing education overseas.
A successful bilateral working holiday scheme [external link] has been in existence since 1994, currently offering 2,000 visas each year on a reciprocal basis.
New Zealand and Canada currently have three sister city relationships:
In the year to July 2011 over 48,000 Canadians visited New Zealand.
Tourism New Zealand has identified Canada as a market with continuing strong potential. This is supported by a new, more liberal, air services agreement between the two countries signed in July 2009. Air New Zealand now offers direct flights between Auckland and Vancouver, with plans to add more services as the market recovers.
New Zealand and Canada work together in a number of international forums, particularly in the United Nations where New Zealand, Canada and Australia work together as the CANZ group to deal with issues of relevance to all three countries. New Zealand and Canada also work together in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum, APEC, OECD, WTO, and the Cairns Group of agricultural exporters. Canada is also a dialogue partner in the Pacific Islands Forum.
New Zealand and Canada enjoy a close and cordial defence relationship. Historically, our two armed forces have worked alongside each other in a number of international security operations. Recent strands to the defence relationship include co-operation in Timor Leste, Bosnia and Afghanistan, exercises and staff exchanges.
New Zealand’s recent contacts and interaction with armed forces include Canada’s contribution in East Timor; the commitment of both countries’ special- forces to Afghanistan; naval cooperation in various deployments in the Gulf; and shared service in various peacekeeping operations around the world. Canada’s traditional defence attachment to NATO has been balanced in recent years by a deepened interest in the Asia Pacific region, evidenced for example by the deployment of its naval assets to the Pacific coast with ship visits into the region including occasionally to New Zealand. These positive and longstanding defence links with Canada have been enhanced by New Zealand’s purchase of 105 Light Armoured Vehicles (LAV IIIs) from Canada. The LAV III has a high degree of commonality with the Canadian Army vehicle, and their purchase has increased contacts and interoperability between the two countries’ armed forces, adding a significant dimension to the overall security relationship by broadening defence cooperation. Another Canadian company carried out upgrading work on our C-130s. It has since been bought by a US company and that work is being transferred to the US.
In 2010, reflecting both our common historical heritage and our growing level of defence cooperation, Royal New Zealand Navy ships will attend a Fleet Review in Victoria, British Columbia to celebrate the Canadian Navy’s centennial.
The Canadian International Development Agency [external link] operates the Canada Fund for the South Pacific [external link]. It is the only remaining Canadian bilateral development assistance programme in the region. This $900,000 community based programme is operated jointly out of the Canadian High Commissions in Wellington and Canberra. The High Commission in Wellington is responsible for community based projects in the Western South Pacific, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga and Tuvalu.
Prime Minister John Key visited Ottawa in April 2010 for the first Prime Ministerial visit to Canada in 11 years. He met with his counterpart, Stephen Harper, a number of Cabinet Ministers and influential business leaders.
Minister of Immigration Jonathan Coleman visited Vancouver for the opening of the Winter Olympics in February 2010.
Minister of Defence and Research, Science & Technology Wayne Mapp visited Canada in November 2009 to attend a conference on international security in Halifax, followed by bilateral calls in Ottawa and Toronto.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully visited Ottawa in October 2009 and met with five Canadian Ministers (Foreign Affairs, Defence, International Development, Trade and Minister of State for the Americas).
Minister of Local Government and Regulatory Reform Rodney Hide visited Toronto in September 2009 for discussions with City of Toronto officials.
The Minister of Education, Hon Anne Tolley, visited Calgary and Toronto in August 2009 to attend a Commonwealth Education Ministers Conference and meet with Ontario Education Officials.
Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney visited New Zealand in July 2011 for meetings with Prime Minister Key and members of his Cabinet to discuss shared issues relating to human smuggling and refugees.
Canadian Chief of Defence Staff Walter Natynczyk visited New Zealand in March 2010 for discussions with his NZDF counterparts.
Minister of State for Democratic Reform, Hon Steven Fletcher visited New Zealand in August 2009 to discuss democracy promotion and electoral reform.
In addition to such high level visits, there are regular senior officials’ visits both ways.
Land area - 9,984,670 sq km
Population - 34.6 million (August 2011 est.)
Capital city - Ottawa
Religion - Predominantly Christian, but with significant minorities of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs
Official languages - English, French
Currency - Canadian dollar (CAD)
Exchange rate - NZ$1.00 = C$0.83 (29 August 2011)
Political system - Canada is a confederation with a parliamentary democracy.
Federal government - Minority Government led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Conservative Party).
Federal legislature - The bicameral Parliament consisting of a 308 member House of Commons elected on the basis of universal adult suffrage and a 105 appointed member Senate members appointed by the Governor General with the advice of the PM.
Last election – 2 May 2011
Head of State - Queen Elizabeth II is represented by the Governor General, His Excellency Mr David Johnston, who was sworn in October 1, 2010.
Head of Government - Prime Minister Stephen Harper (since 6 February 2006).
Key Cabinet Members (as at 29 August 2011):
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canadian Wheat Board |
Gerry Ritz |
Canadian Heritage Official Languages |
James Moore |
Citizenship Immigration and Multiculturalism |
Jason Kenney |
Environment |
Peter Kent |
Finance |
Jim Flaherty |
Fisheries and Oceans Atlantic Gateway |
Keith Ashfield |
Foreign Affairs |
John Baird |
Health |
Leona Aglukkaq |
Human Resources and Skills Development |
Diane Finley |
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development |
John Duncan |
Industry |
Christian Paradis |
Inter-governmental Affairs President of the Queen’s Privy Council |
Peter Penashue |
International Cooperation |
Bev Oda |
International Trade Asia-Pacific Gateway |
Ed Fast |
Justice, Attorney General |
Rob Nicolson |
Labour |
Lisa Raitt |
National Defence |
Peter MacKay |
National Revenue |
Gail Shea |
Natural Resources |
Joe Oliver |
Public Safety |
Vic Toews |
Public Works & Government Services |
Rona Ambrose |
Transport, Infrastructure and Communities |
Densi Lebel |
President of the Treasury Board |
Tony Clement |
Veterans’ Affairs |
Steven Blaney |
| Key Opposition MPs | Hon Michael Ignatieff, Official Opposition Leader and Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada Gilles Duceppe, Leader of Bloc Québecois Jack Layton, Leader of New Democratic Party |
| Main political parties | Conservative Party (143 seats - 37.65%) Liberal Party (77 seats - 26.26%) Bloc Québecois (49 seats - 9.98%) New Democratic Party (37 seats - 18.18%) |
Canada is comprised of ten provinces (Ontario, Québec, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador and three territories (North West Territories, Nunavut and Yukon) [external links].
Each province operates a democratically elected Parliament. Provincial elections take place every four years. While not fully autonomous the provinces maintain responsibility for policy development and programme delivery in a number of key areas including healthcare and education.
GDP (expenditure based) |
C$1.696 trillion (March 2011) |
|
GDP by sector (2010) |
Services 72% |
|
GDP per capita |
US $38,200 (est 2009) |
|
Exports |
C$399.4 billion (2010) (75% to the US) |
|
Main exports |
Petroleum products, motor vehicles, gold, aircraft, aluminium, coal, fertilizers, lumber and wood products, |
|
Imports |
US $403.7 billion (2010) |
|
Main imports |
Crude oil, motor vehicles, pharmaceuticals, |
|
Net Debt |
$467 billion (2008) |
|
Unemployment Rate |
7.2% (2011) |
|
Source: Statistics Canada.
New Zealand/Canada top 20 trade figures are available online from Statistics New Zealand at http://www.stats.govt.nz
The Safetravel website provides a travel advisory for travellers to Canada [external link].
