Official visit of the Secretary-General to New Zealand (Wellington, 29-31 July 2008)

During his official visit to New Zealand, the Secretary-General of the OECD, Angel Gurría met with leaders to discuss a range of key policy issues, including the developments in the global economy, financial markets, climate change and sustainability, trade and agriculture and development issues. The Secretary-General met with:

• Ms. Helen Clark, Prime Minister
• Mr. Michael Cullen, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance
• Mr. Winston Peters, Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Mr. Jim Anderton, Minister of Agriculture
• Mr. David Parker, Minister for Climate Change Issues
• Mr. David Cunliffe, Minister for Communications and Information Technology
• Ms. Lianne Dalziel, Minister of Commerce and Food Safety
• Ms. Ruth Dyson, Minister for Social Development and Employment
• Mr. Pete Hodgson, Minister for Economic Development
• Mr. Darren Hughes, Minister of Statistics
• Mr. John Key, MP, leader of the National Party
• Mr. Bill English, MP, Deputy leader of the National Party
• Mr. Phil O’Reilly, Chief Executive, Business New Zealand
• Ms. Helen Kelly, President, New Zealand Council of Trade Unions

In addition to his bilateral meetings, Angel Gurría gave a keynote speech at Victoria University, in co-operation with the New Zealand Institute of international Affairs, on "The Global Financial Crisis: Where to next, and what does it mean for OECD countries". He also addressed the Chamber of Commerce on "Lifting productivity: Lessons from the OECD". He participated in a round table discussion with senior officials on a range of policy issues.

Useful links:

• OECD work on New Zealand: http://www.oecd.org/nz