REMARKS BY PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY MCALEESE AT A BUSINESS LUNCH HOSTED BY ENTERPRISE IRELAND
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY MCALEESE AT A BUSINESS LUNCH HOSTED BY ENTERPRISE IRELAND MUSEUM OF NEW ZEALAND, TE PAPA
Thank you Gerry, and may I say how delighted I am to be back in New Zealand, following my first, all-too-brief visit back in 1998.
This state visit has provided a wonderful opportunity to rehearse the long, interwoven histories of Ireland and New Zealand as well as to cry together at our respective sad days on the rugby fields of France. Our close ties, underwritten by years of immigration, and years of being soundly beaten by the All-Blacks, have bequeathed to us an intricate web of close family connections, so that almost one New Zealander in five can claim Irish descent which allows us to take vicarious credit for your legendary footballing talent. These strong personal connections, with their gift of linguistic, cultural and historical compatibility, allied to a shared value system and perspective on many issues, provide a firm foundation, indeed the best foundation, upon which to develop vibrant commercial relations.
We already work well together across a host of fields and given the recent history of dynamic economic growth both here and in Ireland we find ourselves as two ambitious globalised economies, tried and tested and successful in the marketplace in both long established industries and new knowledge and technology driven enterprises. We are both export-led. We both place huge emphasis on investment in education; support for innovation and research and development; encouragement of a culture of entrepreneurialism and industrial stability. We both punch way above our weight as global players politically and economically and as the attendance at today’s lunch testifies, we are committed to doing business with one another. We are a perfect opportunity for each other and a natural fit. The trade figures already tell us that, for despite the geographic distance which separates us, trade between our two countries exceeds €100 million per year and is growing. New Zealand is an important market for Ireland in this region. Its value for Enterprise Ireland client companies exceeds that of Korea, Vietnam and Indonesia.
Enterprise Ireland is of course our host today and it has a formidable record. Almost 30% of the exports of goods and services from Ireland stem from the Irish-owned SMEs that are supported by Enterprise Ireland. Today, around 20 of these companies have their own office or representation in New Zealand, and many more are building a solid market presence here. They are here because this is a sophisticated, technologically-aware nation whose market has proved particularly attractive to Irish high-tech firms in sectors such as software,
telecommunications, agri-business technologies, biotechnology, food processing and healthcare.
Trade is Ireland’s business and almost all of the activities of the Irish economy are ultimately validated by the international marketplace. Since 1994, our exports have grown at a rate twice that of the European Union, three times that of total world trade, and among the highest in the OECD.
Irish-owned companies are very successful players in the highly competitive global marketplace and are fuelling the growth of our economy. Their position is assured by their relentless focus on innovation and internationalisation, harnessing their creativity, knowledge and expertise to secure major contracts across the world.
As an example of the Irish ability to manage and to drive change, it should be recalled that two generations ago ours was a poor, agrarian country with little industry, low growth, high unemployment and emigration. Through a process of economic development that has greatly accelerated in the past fifteen years, we have doubled the national income, reduced unemployment levels by two-thirds, and increased the number of people working by more than one-half.
We see New Zealand as a crucial part of our future. The concept of business partnership is emerging as a useful device by which to harness the potential offered by trade between our countries. Successful companies think in terms of global customers and global opportunities. The creation of strategic alliances and partnerships between export-led companies offers a highly effective way of operating at this level. A number of such alliances between Irish and New Zealand companies already exist, and there is scope for more linkages through investment, technology transfer, joint ventures, acquisitions, and other forms of joint marketing and trade relationships.
Such partnerships are a modern manifestation of the centuries-old linkages that bind our two countries; linkages which exist through kin, culture and shared values. A new entrepreneurial generation in both countries is adding its chapter to the story. It could be the best chapter yet. It certainly means we have a lot to look forward to for each one of us in this room knows that while pursuing money for its own sake is not much of an ambition, the financial independence that comes from a good education and a job, and the chance to live in freedom and peace and prosperity in a caring democracy - these are the basic guarantors of our human dignity and ultimately whatever commodity we trade, that is our shared ambition, not just for ourselves but for our world. That is what Ireland and New Zealand stand for and that is why what you do here has a profound human value and benign repercussions far beyond balance sheets and profit margins.
May I thank you once again for your very kind welcome, and wish you every success in developing yet another aspect of the cherished Ireland-New Zealand relationship.