The Chairman of a Kiwi export business has asked the Prime Minister not to use certain political language in his speeches while traveling abroad.
Comvita Chairman Brett Hewlett made the remarks during a lunch for the business delegation in Manila, after being asked to give some reflections on the trip.
He commended Christopher Luxon for leading a trip so soon after taking office, but suggested he steer away from using certain political phrases in his speeches.
Using language like “under new management” and “open for business” was not helpful, he said.
Overseas relationships had been built over time by a series of people who should be acknowledged.
“New Zealand has never been closed for business,” he said.
Hewlett also shared other reflections about the trip and how New Zealand could pitch itself to the world more enthusiastically.
“We are awesome at being humble but we need to stop that,” he said, encouraging businesses to talk up their products.
Running the country, up & down
Luxon has used the two offending phrases several times in stump speeches during the trip.
For example, he said it at an ANZ economic briefing event in Singapore.
“And as I said before, we are under new management and we are open for business and that is why we are here in South East Asia this week,” he said.
The Prime Minister went on to say that New Zealand was “the best country on the planet” but he wanted it to be even better.
Former PM Chris Hipkins also used the phrase “open for business” on his trip to China last year.
New Zealand continued to trade with the world through the Covid-19 pandemic.
This is not the first time Luxon has been criticized for making negative comments about New Zealand.
During the election campaign, he was recorded saying NZ had become a "very negative, wet, whiny, inward-looking country".
And during an earlier trip to London, he told the Policy Exchange that NZ businesses were “getting soft” and looking to the Government for solutions to all their problems.
Hipkins used these comments as an attack line during the election, saying Luxon was “running down the country”.
Fresh faces
‘New management’ could easily have been a theme of the trip, as Luxon met with fairly new leaders in each of the three countries he visited.
Singapore’s long-serving Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong resigned while the New Zealand delegation was visiting and Luxon got to meet with his successor, Lawrence Wong.
Thailand’s Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin, took office last year as the leader of a coalition of an eleven party government — which includes the military parties he campaigned to replace.
Srettha also comes from a corporate background and has crossed paths with Luxon previously.
And finally, Ferdinand Marcos Jr secured a six year term as President of the Philippines in June last year, taking over from Rodrigo Duterte.
Luxon told business delegates there was an excellent opportunity in the country under the new president who wanted to engage more with the world.
The pair met briefly in Melbourne during the special ASEAN summit in March and seemingly hit it off.
Marcos invited Luxon to stay in the President’s Malacañang Palace while visiting, making him the first leader to receive such an invite under the new administration.
Having this set of new leaders could be fortunate for New Zealand, as it is attempting to deepen its political relationships after many years of overlooking the fast growing region.
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