Goff opens office of New Zealand business promotion company in Santiago, Chile.

Goff Opens NZ Business Promotion Co. in Chile
Wednesday, 3 October 2007, 8:38 am
Press Release: New Zealand Government

Trade Minister Phil Goff today officially opened the offices of an entrepreneurial New Zealand company, P4, based in Santiago, Chile.

Mr Goff is concluding a two week New Zealand Trade Mission to Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Chile.

“Pifor Asesores Ltda, or P4, is 100 per cent owned and run by two young New Zealanders living in Chile, Hamish Wood and Justin Mitchell”, Mr Goff said.

P4 began operating just under two years ago and assists New Zealand companies wanting to enter the Chilean market with business consulting services. It has also helped Chilean companies identify business partners in New Zealand.

Mr Goff said the company now has a staff of nine and works with the Chilean Economic Development Agency, Canadian Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Dutch Ministry of Economy and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.

“I am pleased to officially open the P4 offices today in Santiago and support a young New Zealand company that has successfully found and developed a business niche in Chile, based around professional expertise and know-how. P4 saw an opportunity to assist New Zealand businesses wanting to enter the Chile market following the conclusion in 2005 of the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (TPSEPA), of which Chile and New Zealand are members, and which is known informally as the P4 Agreement.

“The goal in Chile of the trade mission I am leading is to identify opportunities for increased export of goods and services. In particular, mission members are looking for potential synergies between New Zealand and Chile that will enable New Zealand agritech companies to take advantage of Chile’s rapidly expanding agricultural sector and its preferential access through a large network of free trade agreements.

“P4’s work in Chile has expanded rapidly in the two years since establishment, and represents a growing interest among New Zealand companies in business and investment opportunities in South America. Chile is a country well suited to basing future business expansion into the region.
“P4 is symbolic of the relationship between Chile and New Zealand, which is seeking out new opportunities in the bilateral trade environment following the entry into force of the TPSEPA and the double tax agreement between Chile and New Zealand in 2006,” Mr Goff said.

Mr Goff said P4´s young Kiwi directors originally came to Chile looking for new opportunities, and their shared 17 years´ worth of experience in the country ranges from commercial management of a New Zealand mining company, international business consultancy and entrepreneurial activities, to the promotion of the Les Mills group fitness programs in the Chilean fitness market.

“P4 has also helped promote trade opportunities in New Zealand to Chilean companies. In November 2006 it assisted 18 Chilean companies identify suitable potential New Zealand business partners and investors during an official Chilean trade mission to New Zealand”, Mr Goff said.

DID YOU KNOW?
The title of the U2 song “0ne Tree Hill” clearly refers to the sacred One Tree Hill site in Auckland, New Zealand.But did you know that the lyrics of that same song make reference to Chilean folk singer Victor Jara?

For more information on P4, visit www.p4.cl