Colombia

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Embassies and consular services for Colombia

Location Service areas
Embassy of the Republic of Colombia
New Zealand Embassy to Colombia Ecuador

Our relationship with Colombia

New Zealand opened its newest Post, in Bogotá, Colombia, in February 2018, having previously been accredited from our Embassy in Santiago, Chile. Colombia’s economic growth and international profile have increased impressively in a short period.

Political and foreign policy connections

  • New Zealand's Foreign Minister presided over the United Nations Security Council’s unanimous adoption of Resolution 2307 in September 2016 welcoming Colombia’s Peace Agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - People’s Army (FARC-EP) and approving the mandate of the UN political mission to assist the parties in laying down their arms and ending over a half century of conflict.
  • New Zealand supports Colombia’s post-conflict development and peace implementation, and has made a more than NZD$2 million contribution to humanitarian demining efforts (including the use of New Zealand-developed thermite technology). 
  • Since 2012, New Zealand has been an active Observer of the Pacific Alliance, a regional integration initiative comprised of Colombia, Chile, Mexico, and Perú. New Zealand launched negotiations towards a high-quality and comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA) with the Pacific Alliance in June 2017. Once negotiations are concluded and the FTA is in force, New Zealand will become an Associated State of the Pacific Alliance.
  • Agricultural cooperation is increasing between our countries, with early successes from our New Zealand Aid Dairy Value Chain Project (2015-2019) and Supply Chain Integrity Programme (SCIP) visits to both New Zealand and Colombia.  Agricultural cooperation also took place on agricultural extension training in partnership with SENA.

Trade

2020 statistics

Total trade in goods

NZ$43 m

 

Exports to Colombia

NZ$14 m

Medical equipment, dairy ingredients

Imports from Colombia

NZ$29 m

Coffee, cut flowers, pharmaceutical ingredients

Source: trademap

New Zealand companies will find opportunities: agritech, health, mining, manufacturing and technology, and digital technologies.

New Zealand exporters interested in opportunities in Colombia should consult the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise market guide on Colombia available on myNZTE(external link).

Trade opportunities

Services trade between New Zealand and Colombia is diverse and deepening.  A bilateral Air Services Agreement was signed in 2017.

New Zealand companies are targeting Colombian opportunities in agribusiness, food processing, retail (food and beverage, fuel), construction, aviation, and health.

New Zealand agribusiness technologies, particularly in the dairy sector, have the potential to support the Colombian sector lift its productivity and profitability.

New Zealand exporters interested in opportunities should consult the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) market guide to Colombia.

Market guide to Colombia(external link)

New Zealand business in Colombia

New Zealand companies are very keen in strengthening commercial links in Colombia. Over fifty NZ companies are actively working with Colombian counterparts in sectors identified by NZTE as priority: agritech, health, manufacturing and technology.

Some successful examples are:

Agritech: Compac Sorting offers high tech solutions for the selection of prime avocados for a demanding international market.  Similarly, RFIDER(external link), through its digital technology ensures the traceability of the coffee exported by MasterCol(external link).

Health: Fisher&Paykel Healthcare(external link) with local presence offers a portfolio of unique humidification technologies. Their leading nasal high flow therapy, Optiflow has been used to good effect as respiratory support for Covid patients in Colombian hospitals.  

Manufacturing: Wellington Drive Technologies-WDT(external link), is a leading supplier of advanced electronic solutions for the commercial refrigeration industry that reduces energy consumption. WDT works with Colombian OEMs to provide cutting-edge technology to Colombian iconic companies such as Postobon, CremHelado and Bavaria. 

NZTE works closely with the local TPO Procolombia(external link), in projects of mutual benefit. Digitalisation and e-commerce, is front of mind for leading businesses. At the core of our strategy, NZTE is actively building the capability of NZ companies to adopt and adapt digital technologies to face effectively, the new patterns in consumer behaviour, business environment disruptions and expanding international trade.

NZTE(external link) will continue to support NZ companies that are targeting Colombia to strengthen the bilateral relation and foster commercial exchange resulting in enhanced efficiency and innovation. 

Education

  • The number of Colombian students choosing to study in New Zealand is growing steadily. In 2018, 1,414 Colombian students were enrolled at New Zealand educational institutions, with 35% growth over the last five years.
  • New Zealand is committed to its bilateral education relationship with Colombia.  Since 2018, Education New Zealand(external link) has organized 3 academic delegations to Colombia in order to create intuitional linkages between New Zealand Universities and Colombian Universities. The last academic delegation occurred October 2019 in Bogota within the Conference of the Americas for International Education (CAIE).
  • Colombia is a preferred destination for the Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Latin America (PMSLA), sending New Zealand students into the region with 35% of all awardees’ scholarships conducted there between 2016 and 2019.The scheme aims to build New Zealand education institutions’ connections with their Latin American counterparts; strengthen people-to-people links; and promote understanding of the strength and quality of New Zealand’s education system.
  • Education New Zealand (ENZ) actively supports the New Zealand education sector in Colombia and has a Director of Education based in Santiago. ENZ marketing efforts span working with government and institutions, organizing education fairs and seminars, undertaking outreach activities, providing advice and exploring education business opportunities.

Aid and development

New Zealand’s recent development efforts in Colombia have focused on rural development, including an agricultural extension training project delivered by The Agribusiness Group in partnership with SENA and a water catchment management project delivered by Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research(external link) in Cauca department. New Zealand also partners with The HALO Trust to deliver humanitarian demining assistance in Colombia, and with the ICRC and UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to deliver humanitarian assistance to Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Colombia. A small project fund managed by the Embassy (known as the HEF) delivers small scale, short term community development projects each year. New Zealand aid programme in Latin America(external link).  

Embassies

New Zealand is represented in Colombia by the New Zealand Embassy, Bogotá.

Colombia is represented in New Zealand by:

  • the Embassy of Colombia, Canberra, and
  • the Consulate-General of Colombia in Auckland 

Recent official visits

New Zealand to Colombia 

  • Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Fletcher Tabuteau attended the inauguration of President Iván Duque in August
  • Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Fletcher Tabuteau, formally opened New Zealand Embassy Bogotá in March 2018.
  • Foreign Minister, Gerry Brownlee, and Trade Minister, Todd McClay, attended the Pacific Alliance Summit in Cali in June 2017.
  • The Special Agricultural Trade Envoy, Mike Petersen, visited Bogotá and Medellin in May 2017.
  • Minister of Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, Steven Joyce, visited Bogotá, together with an education delegation, in October 2016.

Colombia to New Zealand

  • Vice Minister of Agricultural and Rural Development, Juan Pablo Piñeda, led a delegation to New Zealand in December 2016 to discuss the red meat sector. 
  • Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Patti Londoño Jaramillo, visited Wellington for bilateral Foreign Policy Consultations in December 2013.
  • Vice Minister of Education, Patrizia Martinez Barrios, led a delegation to New Zealand in May 2013 for bilateral education consultations.

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