New Zealand’s Non-Resident High Commissioner David Pyne has said that the New Zealand government is interested in providing technical and strategic cooperation for the economic and industrial development of Bangladesh. He said that if Bangladesh specifically tells New Zealand in which areas it expects cooperation, along with a detailed outline, they will come forward with a positive and effective partnership.
The Honorable High Commissioner made these remarks in a bilateral meeting held with BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan at the BGMEA office in Uttara on Thursday morning. The meeting discussed in detail the issues of increasing bilateral trade, opening new horizons of investment and strengthening long-term strategic cooperation between the two countries.
In the meeting, BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan welcomed the Honorable High Commissioner’s proposal for cooperation. He said that BGMEA is working on a far-reaching roadmap and visionary initiatives to increase ready-made garment exports to the global market to $100 billion by 2035. To achieve this goal and keeping in mind the global geopolitical risks, BGMEA is placing special emphasis on new and promising markets like New Zealand outside the traditional markets.
It is worth noting that Bangladesh currently has a trade deficit of about $300 million with New Zealand. According to the data of the 2024-25 fiscal year, Bangladesh exported goods worth about $100 million to New Zealand, of which 94 percent was ready-made garments. Both sides agreed to work together to reduce this trade gap and exploit the huge potential for expanding bilateral trade.
The BGMEA President mentioned that the current board of BGMEA is working on diversifying the products and markets of the garment industry in line with the government’s long-term plan and diversifying the exports of other products outside the garment industry, especially textiles, footwear, pharmaceuticals and furniture, where New Zealand’s technical partnership can play a major role. The Honorable High Commissioner agreed with this.
The meeting discussed the use of renewable energy as part of the sustainable transformation of the garment sector and the BGMEA President sought New Zealand’s advanced technical cooperation in this area.
The discussion also raised the issue of postponing Bangladesh’s LDC graduation. When the Honorable High Commissioner asked about Bangladesh’s preparations in this regard, the BGMEA President said that the current business-friendly government is working with businessmen towards this goal. However, the need to complete Bangladesh’s FTAs with various countries in the meantime was emphasized.
The BGMEA President sought the sincere cooperation and support of the New Zealand government for postponing LDC graduation by 3 years.
The meeting discussed increasing the brand visibility of Bangladeshi garments in the New Zealand market. Since many leading global brands do not operate directly in New Zealand, BGMEA sought information on how to establish direct business contacts with local buyers and retailers in the country. In this context, High Commissioner David Pyne suggested that Bangladeshi entrepreneurs participate in various international expos and trade fairs organized in New Zealand. He further said that if a business delegation from Bangladesh is sent to New Zealand, the High Commission will provide all kinds of cooperation in this regard.
When a proposal was made in the meeting to promote Bangladesh’s own brand in the New Zealand market, the Honorable High Commissioner responded very positively.
Senior leaders of BGMEA and senior officials of the New Zealand High Commission were present in the meeting.
