14 February 2022

Last week, the Latin America CAPE attended the first in-person event in 2022 hosted by the Latin America New Zealand Business Council (LANZBC) Young Professionals Network. The event was called ‘The Future of New Zealand – Brazil relations’ and the Ambassador-designate for New Zealand, Richard Prendergast, spoke about how New Zealand cooperates with Brazil in global trade, international security, and climate change.

Minister-Counsellor Henrique Choer Moraes from the Embassy of Brazil also joined for the Q&A section.

It was a great opportunity to learn more about how Brazil and New Zealand intend to work together to deepen their ties. Discussions included how the two countries were able to work together during the toughest times of the COVID-19 pandemic and what is likely to happen in the next few years. Hopes for more convenient plane routes were also touched on, highlighting the importance of travel between the two nations for tourism, as well as for education.

We also got to hear more about the importance of indigenous communities in both countries and discussed ways in which to empower them.

Members of the LANZBC Young Professionals Network who attended got the chance to network with representatives from the LatAm CAPE and members of government organisations who attended.