New Zealand Innovation Showcase 2026: Strengthening Ties with Brazil and Latin America

[Speech to the New Zealand Innovation Showcase, Brasilia, Brazil, 5 March 2026] Executive Secretary and Deputy Minister Elias, excellencies, distinguished guests, tēnā koutou katoa, boa noite, good evening.

We want to acknowledge the senior New Zealand bipartisan political delegation joining this mission: Hon Carmel Sepuloni, Deputy Leader of the Opposition Hon Nicole McKee, Minister for Courts Hon Damien O’Connor, Opposition Spokesperson for Trade Mr Tim van de Molen, Chair of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Select Committee We are also joined by a wide range of New Zealand companies active in Brazil. Some of their senior representatives have travelled with us from New Zealand, others are based here in Brazil, and a few have come from other parts of Latin America. They bring innovative solutions to essential sectors in Brazil – solutions for infrastructure, energy and resources, healthcare, defence, and agriculture.

All of these companies share a common thread: New Zealand’s reputation for innovation, practical solutions, and world-class quality.

It therefore is a great pleasure to formally open this New Zealand Innovation Showcase.

It’s wonderful to be back in Brazil. New Zealanders have long admired your country. For us, way down at the bottom of the Southwest pacific, just north of the penguins, Brazil has always grabbed our imagination. The mighty Amazon, the world’s lungs, its great river, and within its vast canopy, the greatest biodiversity anywhere on the planet. We admire the vibrant rhythm and flair of your people, and, of course, the magnificent history of your football team.

The first New Zealand football team to qualify for the World Cup was in 1982, after our team survived 15 gruelling matches just to qualify for the world’s premier sporting event. When the draw came out, with Brazil in our group, we all wondered how our team could hope to compete against a Brazilian side containing brilliant, world class players like Éder, Falcao, Júnior, Sócrates and Zico.

Well, you were very respectful of New Zealand that day, only scoring four goals against us, for which we remain grateful. Such was the euphoria New Zealanders felt to be even on the same pitch as your team, our capital’s then leading newspaper declared after the big loss that ‘Four years ago it would’ve been 20-0!’ In 1982 you were the best team at the tournament, but you didn’t win. New Zealanders understood your pain 13 years later, when a great All Blacks rugby team, the best performer at the 1995 Rugby World Cup, faltered at the final hurdle. That day we understood how Brazilians felt in 1982.

It was also an honour to meet Pelé in 2006, at FIFA’s invitation for that year’s World Cup Final in Berlin. Pelé came to define Brazilian football with his sublime skill, the freedom and excitement with which he played, his resilience and determination during his long career, and the way he carried himself on the pitch with a grace that only the most gifted can reach.

We would now like to turn attention to another important topic for all of us here: New Zealand’s relations with Latin America.

Though a vast ocean, and the imposing Andes, separate New Zealand from Brazil, we share important values – a commitment to democracy, the international rule of law, multilateralism, and a vision to create, however imperfectly, a future that sustains and nourishes our children and their children’s material needs, and whose environment and climate is tended to with a serious duty of care. Brazil’s demonstrated this duty of care during its recent impressive hosting of COP 30.

Twenty twenty-six marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the New Zealand Embassy here in Brasilia, and the 62nd anniversary of our diplomatic relations.

We have, since coming into office, led a highly active diplomacy, focusing most particularly on our own region, the Pacific, and in South and Southeast Asia. Now is the time, we believe, to build on our history in South America to elevate our diplomatic and economic relationships with your continent.

We do so because those of us who have history together, who share common beliefs, and possess the same essential values, must strengthen our bonds as we work to protect institutions that have, for all their imperfections, helped to sustain conditions of global peace for 80 years. We come as friends wanting to talk about the work ahead.

That is also why we are here as a cross-party delegation, alongside our business delegation, to signal as clearly as we can, that boosting our relationships with Brazil and with your Latin American neighbours is a goal on all sides of New Zealand politics.

This commitment is not made lightly, nor is it merely a response to the current regional and global disruptions we face. It is a recognition from New Zealand that we have not done enough in past decades to grow our relations, and we are resolved not just to improve them, but to transform them.

That will take time, and this is just the beginning, but we are keen to move fast as we find those areas where our people can mutually benefit from our governments and businesses’ greater collaborations and partnerships.

We see Latin America as an important partner in addressing major global challenges, including building climate resilience, and boosting food and energy security.

We also share serious concerns over the ever present and fast-growing threat of transnational organised crime. We also share in the urgent need to protect and promote effective rules-based multilateralism and trade architecture.

Put simply, New Zealand cannot expect to be able to progress initiatives in the international arena without Latin American cooperation – be that in the United Nations, Antarctic Treaty System, APEC, or on trade. Your region matters enormously for us.

As we say, continuing to build our relationships with the region is a strategic choice for New Zealand.  It is why we have a sizeable network of diplomatic missions spread across the region, and why we have held a series of foreign policy consultations over the last year. Our Latin American partnerships matter.

And this is again why we considered it important to undertake this rare cross-parliamentary, business and cultural mission to the region. Within a geo-strategic environment that is changing rapidly and is hugely challenging, deepening our engagement with Latin America is critical for achieving our enduring objectives of ensuring: A sustainable future, a prosperous and resilient future, and a stable, safe, and just future – for your people and ours.

A sustainable future We recall first visiting Brasilia almost 20 years ago now as Foreign Minister, when President Lula was leading your country.  Back then we spoke about how Brazil was emerging as a political superpower. Today, Brazil is viewed as a leader in the multilateral space at a time of profound geopolitical change and challenge.

Brazil’s hosting role convening COP30 and the G20 reveals your country’s ability to bridge divides and foster dialogue among diverse partners, large and small. Brazil can feel proud in showcasing how committed it is to inclusive, forward-looking solutions on climate resilience, economic governance, and global security.

In our meetings here, with Minister Vieria, Ambassador Amorim and Deputy Minister Elias, we agreed that this is something we all need to do if we are to be successful in defending and advancing the international rules-based order on which our shared security and prosperity rely.

In an era where consensus is increasingly elusive, the ability to convene, lead, and inspire collaboration is indispensable. We have been saying in multilateral and bilateral fora that never has diplomacy been more needed than now. We need to talk more, listen more, even to those with whom we might not agree. But from more diplomacy, more listening to other perspectives, we see a path towards greater understanding between nations.

Our time here in Brasilia was preceded by visits to Buenos Aires and Montevideo, where we similarly spoke with President Milei and President Orsi on the fundamental importance, indeed necessity, of boosting global cooperation and effective coalition-building with our Latin American and other partners.

Our shared interest in preserving the Antarctic as a zone of peace and science was a key topic, following on from New Zealand’s hosting late last year of an Antarctic Parliamentary Assembly. It was the first time the assembly was held in the Southern Hemisphere, and we were thrilled to be able to attract parliamentarians from across Latin America, including from Argentina and Uruguay.

While the Antarctic Treaty has been maintaining peace and promoting scientific collaboration for close to seven decades, the region is not immune to the impacts of the geopolitical landscape. Protecting the Antarctic is as important to us as protecting your vast rainforest is to you, as both have impacts on our global climate’s health.

We must work together to ensure the long-term protection of the Antarctic as a natural reserve devoted to peace and science, which supports our shared security and prosperity.  As such, we were especially pleased to sign a new Antarctic Cooperation Arrangement with Uruguay while we were in Montevideo, and to take the pulse of the one we have with Argentina while in Buenos Aires.

Chile, where we will visit next, is also a gateway nation to Antarctica and a close partner when it comes to protecting it, as well as our shared oceans – in fact, it was at the United Nation’s Our Oceans Conference that we last met with our Chilean Foreign Minister counterpart.

New Zealand’s relationship with Chile is a close and longstanding one.  Last year, we marked our 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations. It is a relationship that was sealed back in 1945 when we were both proud founding members of the United Nations, an institution where we have worked so long and so closely with Latin American partners.  And we will continue to do so.

We have highlighted in speeches at the United Nations that the United Nations’ system is facing unprecedented challenges that have built up over time. We urged the United Nations leadership and members to work seriously to achieve long overdue but necessary reforms that help to reduce the vulnerabilities the UN currently faces. Do more with less, and be effective, by focussing on its core purpose to improve its impact and delivery.

The next UN Secretary will have a significant role in carrying forward the all-important reform process.

New Zealand is already supporting that effort through its co-leadership of the United Nations mandate review, and we will work closely with Latin American countries to ensure this aspect of United Nations reform is fit for purpose for another 80 years.

Another key success of our Latin American partnerships has been positioning ourselves at the vanguard of developing innovative future-focused trade architecture. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is a great example of this. In the early 2000s, Chile and New Zealand led the creation of the high-quality and comprehensive P4 Agreement. It was then expanded into the Trans-Pacific Partnership (bringing onboard Mexico and Peru), and it has subsequently transformed into what now has global reach and influence with the accession of the United Kingdom, and others – including Costa Rica, Uruguay and Ecuador – seeking to do so.

Innovative leadership on trade rules gives small and medium-sized trading nations like New Zealand and many of our Latin American partners a larger, more influential voice in shaping the international trade environment that we all depend on.

Alongside CPTPP, we have successfully collaborated on a range of modern trade agreements.  The latest offering is the innovative Future of Investment Partnership, which we were pleased to launch last year alongside a range of partners, including Chile, Mexico, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Peru.

At a time when the international rules-based system is facing multiple challenges, open, rules-based trade is more important than ever, whether through CPTPP, Mercosur, or other platforms such as the Pacific Alliance – which New Zealand remains keen to join as an Associate Member when appropriate.  Open, rules-based trade is critical for our shared future prosperity.

A prosperous and resilient future There is so much more we should be doing to grow our shared prosperity. For New Zealand, Latin America remains a region of significant untapped trade potential where we can and want to do more, including in terms of diversifying our trading base.

Latin America represents the world’s fourth-largest economy – US$6.34 trillion – almost twice that of India.  Latin America is home to 660 million people with high education levels; large middle classes; sizable youth populations; and an abundance of natural resources.

In fact, it holds half of the world’s biodiversity, a quarter of its forests, and a substantial share of minerals essential to the twin digital and low carbon transitions. The region’s sheer size and resources present significant opportunities for New Zealand businesses looking to diversify beyond the Indo-Pacific and traditional markets.

The New Zealand Government is aiming to double its export value by 2034.  And this is why we are joined on this Latin America Mission by a delegation of New Zealand business leaders.  Our time here also dovetails our Minister of Trade’s successful mission to São Paulo in October 2024, which saw us achieve a $100 million trade boost from the 13 arrangements signed. They covered a broad range of sectors, including technology, healthcare and advanced manufacturing, showcasing New Zealand’s diverse offerings and a growing regional interest in New Zealand expertise.

Here in Brazil, our volume of trade is not huge, but it is fresh and exciting. That’s because, in Brazil, New Zealand is not known as a source of high-volume primary goods, but instead as a high-quality technology exporter successfully engaging in areas where we can add real value, by raising productivity, efficiency and profitability for our Brazilian customers and partners.

And this brings me to the theme of the Innovation Showcase here today: Accelerate Brazil, with its focus on boosting commercial opportunities through greater engagement in the technology sector.

Among the success stories featured here today is Tait Communications.  Tait entered the Brazilian market back in 2006, and it has since become a strong regional player, which is challenging the market share of larger, US-based companies such as Motorola, to provide communication and security solutions in the mining and defence sectors. Over the years, Tait’s business has seen remarkable growth, and it has turned its headquarters here in Brazil into a regional hub for its operations in South America.

As demonstrated by some of the businesses here with us today, including Livestock Improvement Corporation and Gallaghers, there is also, we think, a great opportunity for further engagement in agritech.  Though New Zealand has previously been viewed as a competitor, there appears to be an increasing awareness of the value of collaborating with us in the agriculture sector – something which is backed by New Zealand’s record of helping to improve the productivity and sustainability of small, medium, and large dairy producers in the region.

By example, back in 2007, when we last visited, New Zealand also first invested in the Kiwi Group dairy farm in Goiás state.  The operation has since gone from strength to strength, showing how New Zealand pasture-based sustainable production systems can be adapted to Brazil’s climate conditions – and with great success. The farm is now the largest milk producer in the state and will shortly inaugurate a new modern farm.

There are also other similar Kiwi-Brazilian collaborative farming stories, including in Bahia. We hope we can do much more with Brazil and other partners across the region in the agricultural and other sectors, as the benefits of New Zealand agritech products and systems become better-known.

As demonstrated at this showcase, New Zealand is well-placed to provide a broad range of focused, smart solutions that enable increased productivity and efficiency, and therefore economic development, in sectors of strategic importance throughout the region, such as technology-driven service solutions that support export agriculture, the mining industry, and other sectors including IT, retail, healthcare and film.

On the film sector, we signed with the Brazilian Foreign Minister yesterday a Brazil – New Zealand Audio-Visual Co-Production Agreement, which aligns with our Government’s Going for Growth economic strategy.  The agreement allows approved film and television projects to gain the status of official co-productions, entitling them to the benefits accorded to national productions in each of the co-producer’s countries. New Zealand’s co-production agreements with partners worldwide have delivered tangible benefits for our local film industry, and we have every expectation that this will be the case here too.

Indeed, tonight, we are pleased to have here with us an exemplar of what can be achieved in this area in the person of David Schurmann, a Brazilian New Zealander who produced and directed the film Little Secret – a film that Brazil submitted to the foreign-language category of the Oscars back in 2016.

New Zealand is eager to ensure that the implementation of the agreement is a success, and LANZBC – which is with us on this mission – will shortly host a film webinar, alongside the New Zealand Film Commission and Brazil’s ANCINE.

We were also pleased to sign yesterday a refreshed Education Cooperation Arrangement with Brazil. Education and research have long been an important strand of our relationship with Brazil and the broader region. All eight New Zealand universities are ranked in the top two percent globally and prior to COVID, we hosted some 25,000 students from the region each year to further their education and research.

While those numbers are still rebuilding, we are very keen to see that this vital exchange of our best and brightest youth continues to grow.

A safe, secure, and just future Beyond our diplomatic and economic relations, we see value in shoring-up our relationships with Latin American partners to help protect and advance national, regional and international security. Collectively we are facing the most challenging strategic environment in 80 years. Geostrategic competition, armed conflict and the instability it causes, and transnational organised crime are all on the rise. No region is immune, although nor has there ever been better appreciation about how inter-connected our regions are.

Given this context, it is critical we actively contribute and work together towards global peacebuilding and security. And we have a track record of doing so in the past: from WW2, where the Smoking Snakes of Brazil fought courageously at Monte Castello in the north of Italy, whilst New Zealand troops did the same at Monte Cassino in the south; to today, where we have units working together in contemporary peacekeeping missions, such as with Uruguay and Colombia, and in the Multinational Force and Observers in the Sinai.

New Zealand calls for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law to be upheld in Venezuela, and that all political prisoners and others arbitrarily detained to be released. The people of Venezuela must determine their country’s political future.

We have also been a steadfast supporter of Colombia’s 2016 peace agreement. While New Zealand was President of the UNSC, we co-sponsored resolution 2261, which established a UN political mission to monitor and verify the bilateral ceasefire between the Colombian Government and FARC. This has been followed by New Zealand supporting post-conflict demining efforts, including a contribution made last year to the UN Multi-partner Trust Fund for sustaining peace in Colombia, also focussing on demining efforts.

More recently, the New Zealand Government agreed a comprehensive plan to disrupt and prevent drug exports to New Zealand and Pacific Islands, with the Islands vulnerable to the dreadful poison of drugs. We’ve established new offshore liaison positions to increase collaboration with our international partners, because it’s one battle we cannot afford to lose.

Latin America countries share our concerns about transnational organised crime and are key partners in the fight against it.  We are pleased to announce that one of those new offshore liaison positions will be based in Bogotá with a regional remit, working alongside the Australian Federal Police, and embedded with the Colombia National Police.

A positive global future requires a Latin America that is safe, secure, active, and prosperous, and we look forward to strengthening our engagement with Brazil and other partners in the region on these important issues.

Closing Remarks The key objective for our mission is to reinforce both bilaterally and across the region the value we are attaching to our Latin American partnerships.  No country or region on its own can satisfactorily or sustainably address the multiple challenges we face today.  We need to work hard to collaborate more politically, commercially, and through people-to-people links.

Indeed, promoting our growing people-to-people links remains one of the best ways we can deepen and broaden our collaboration. In that regard, New Zealand was pleased to support the launch of the new airlink between Auckland and Buenos Aires, and we hope more such direct linkages will be possible in the future.

The last 25 years has seen the welcome emergence of a steadily growing Latin American community in New Zealand. It now numbers more than 38,000 and they make an outsized contribution to the vibrancy and value of our country.  Many thousands have been supported to experience New Zealand through our working holiday schemes with Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay, which are hugely popular. Perhaps a few more of your footballers might like to join them.

We encourage young New Zealanders, too, to take up the opportunity to travel between our countries and forge life-long experiences and connections, which in turn will strengthen our bonds.

Muito obrigado, muchas gracias, thank you and kia ora mai tātou.