Republic of Cuba

• Relationship with New Zealand
• Visits
• Key facts
• Representation
• Travel advice

Relationship with New Zealand

New Zealand’s diplomatic representation to Cuba was established in 2001, and the first Cuban Ambassador resident in Wellington, Ambassador Jose Luis Robaina, was appointed in November 2007 and will finish his term in New Zealand mid-September 2011.

Trade and economic links

New Zealand’s most substantial link with Cuba is the dairy trade. This is of long standing, although volumes can vary greatly from year to year. In the year to December 2010, total New Zealand exports to Cuba were worth NZ$53 million, of which over NZ$50 million was in dairy products. The trade is driven by the Cuban Government’s social policy of providing each Cuban child under 4 with a litre of liquid milk every day. Trade is conducted mainly via ALIMPORT, the government agency responsible for importing foreign food for use in the domestic market, or via Cubalse, the government agency that sells to special hotels and restaurants that cater mainly to tourists.

Cuban exports to New Zealand average just over NZ$1 million per year and consist of cigars, tobacco and rum.

Political links

Multilateral links

New Zealand and Cuba are both members of the World Trade Organisation and the United Nations. New Zealand has voted in favour of United Nations resolutions calling for an end to the United States economic embargo.

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Visits

High level contact between New Zealand and Cuba most frequently occurs in the context of international meetings. Most recently, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon Murray McCully met the Cuban Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Abelardo Moreno in Bali in July 2011.

Recent visits by high level New Zealanders to Cuba

• In August 2007 Minister of Conservation Chris Carter met Cuban Foreign Minister Pérez Roque at a Ministerial meeting of the Forum for East Asia Latin America Cooperation in Brasilia.
• In September 2004 the Minister of Foreign Affairs & Trade met with his Cuban counterpart at the United Nations General Assembly.
• In January 2004 the Minister of Foreign Affairs & Trade Phil Goff met with his counterpart, Felipe Pérez Roque, at the Forum for East Asia - Latin America Cooperation Ministerial Meeting in Manila.
• In January 2002, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Phil Goff undertook a bilateral visit to Cuba.
• Early in 2001, a New Zealand parliamentary delegation led by Hon Doug Kidd visited Cuba for an International Parliamentary Union conference, and met President Castro at a social function.

Recent visits by high level Cubans to New Zealand

• There have been no high-level visits of Cubans to New Zealand since a Vice-Foreign Minister visited in 1985.

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Key facts

Geography/Demographics

Official Name: Republic of Cuba
Land Area: 110,860 sq kms
Population: 11.2 million (2008 estimate)
Capital City: Havana
Religion: Predominantly Roman Catholic and Protestant
Official Language: Spanish
Currencies: Cuban Peso (CUP) and Convertible Peso (CUC)
Exchange Rates: Official internal exchange rate - CUP:CUC = 1.00
Unofficial internal exchange rate: CUP:CUC = 24.00 (available only domestically, for personal transactions).
Official external exchange rate CUP:US$ = 0.93
Unofficial external exchange rate CUP:US$ = 22.22 (used domestically, for personal transactions).

Political

Political system: Communist State
National government: Organs of the state and the Cuban Communist Party are closely entwined and power devolved primarily from the Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers
National legislature: National Assembly of 614 members
Last elections: Provincial and national assemblies: January 2008; Municipal: October 2007.
Next elections due: Provincial and national assembles: 2013
Head of State: Raúl Castro Ruz
Head of Government: Raúl Castro Ruz
President of the Council of State and Council of Ministers: Raúl Castro Ruz
First Vice-President of the Council of State: José Ramón Machado Ventura
Foreign Minister: Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla
Main political parties: Only one legal political party: the Cuban Communist Party (PCC)

Economic

Nominal GDP: US$60.51 billion
Nominal GDP per capita (PPP): US$10,661
Real GDP Growth: 3.5%
Inflation rate: 3.1%
Main industries: tourism, nickel, tobacco, sugar, agriculture and rum.
Total external debt: US$21.025 billion
Current account: US$488 million deficit

Source: Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) – 2011 estimates

Key Ministers:

First Vice-President - José Ramón Machado Ventura
President of the National Assembly - Ricardo Alarcón de Quesada
Foreign Relations - Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla
Agriculture - Ulíses Rosales del Toro
Foreign Trade and Investment - Rodrigo Malmierca Díaz
Economy & Planning - Marino Alberto Murillo Jorge
Finance & Prices - Lina Olinda Pedraza Rodríguez

Main political parties: Only one legal political party: the Cuban Communist Party (PCC)

Economic

GDP: US$ 54,707 million (2008 estimate)
GDP Per Capita: US$4,884
GDP Per Capita (PPP): US$9,625 (2008 estimate)
Real GDP Growth: 4.3%
Exports of Goods FOB: US$3,780 million
Imports of Goods FOB: US$14,500 million

Main exports:

• Nickel
• Tobacco products
• Sugar and by-products
• Medicines

Consumer Price Inflation: 3.4 % (2008 estimate)
Total external debt: US$19.6 billion (2008 estimate)
Current account: US$2.7 billion deficit

Source: Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) 2008 figures

Trade with New Zealand

New Zealand Exports (FOB)	NZ$124,573,065
Main Exports	Dairy (91%), Telephone equipment (4%) Sugars (3%), Generators (1%)
New Zealand Imports (CIF)	NZ$1,201,012
Main Imports	Cigars (67%), Ethyl alcohol (16%), Coffee (11%) Insulated wires and cables (1%)

Source: Statistics New Zealand (year to December 2008)

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Representation

The New Zealand Embassy in Mexico City [external link] is accredited to Cuba.

The Cuban Embassy in Wellington is accredited to New Zealand.

 

Travel advice

The SafeTravel website [external link] provides a travel advisory for travellers to Cuba.

Further enquiries may be directed to:

Consular Division

Tel: +64 4 439 8000

Fax: +64 4 439 8532

Email: cons@mfat.govt.nz

 

Footnote

[1] The Cuban Trogon or Tocororo (Priotelus temnurus) is a species of bird in the Trogonidae family. It is endemic to the Caribbean island of Cuba, where it is also the national bird. Its natural habitats are dry forests, moist forests, and heavily degraded former forest.

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