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New Zealand and Mexico first established diplomatic relations 37 years ago. Traditionally focused on trade and cooperation in multilateral forums, such as the UN, APEC, the International Whaling Commission amongst others, the bilateral relationship has broadened significantly in recent years to include a wide range of business, research, political, and people to people links. This growing engagement has been fostered by New Zealand’s Latin America Strategy and a web of bilateral arrangements including an:
Our engagement with Mexico is guided by the Government’s Latin America Strategy. Within this framework, New Zealand’s bilateral initiatives are focussed around three priority areas:
New Zealand has used the associated Latin America Strategy Fund (LASF) to support initiatives that advance these priority themes. top of page
Since the early 1970s Mexico has consistently been our top Latin American trading partner and is among our most important milk powder markets in the world. Over the past five years, to December 2009, New Zealand’s exports to Mexico have averaged at NZ$454 million per year. While already significant, there is considerable prospect for growth in two way trade, especially as the Mexican economy recovers and its growing middle class’ appetite for high quality agricultural products grows.
Recognising the potential to strengthen our bilateral trade and economic links, the NewZealand and Mexican Governments agreed to undertake a study of the possibility of negotiating of a Closer Economic Partnership (CEP) or Free Trade Agreement (FTA) ‘plus’ in 2002. The joint experts group established to undertake the study consisted of government officials, business representatives, and academics from both countries.
The report of the joint experts group was presented to NewZealand and Mexican Ministers in late 2006. It confirmed that the two economies are complementary and outlined the potential benefits of a closer economic partnership or ‘FTA plus’, where in addition to removing traditional barriers to trade, both countries could grow from strategic cooperation through research and development.
In 2008 Mexico’s economy was ranked the 13th largest in the world and the second largest in Latin America by the IMF. This large emerging economy combined with significant natural resources, agrowing middle class anda common border with the US make Mexico a market of interest for New Zealand trade and investment.
Trade missions as well as Government-to-Government and business-to-business arrangements have supported New Zealand’s trade and investment links with Mexico in recent years.
In November 2009 a delegation of business people from New Zealand visited Mexico to participate in a clean technologies summit organised by the New Zealand and Australian Embassies in Mexico. The meeting enabled Australian and New Zealand companies to showcase technical solutions in the renewable energies sector and exchange experiences with representatives of industries and government agencies from the Mexican energy sector.
A large Mexican public/private business delegation visited New Zealand in August 2008 led by Dr Bruno Ferrari, the head of Mexico’s trade and investment promotion organisation, ProMéxico. The group visited research centres and businesses in Auckland and Hamilton to explore commercial and technological cooperation opportunities. During the visit the Mexican Business Council for Foreign Trade, Investment and Technology (COMCE) signed memoranda of understanding with the Latin America New Zealand Business Council (LANZBC) and the New Zealand Chambers of Commerce and Industry (NZCCI) to facilitate the exchange of information and promote mutual trade, investment and technology transfers between New Zealand and Mexico.
The Mexico-New Zealand Double Taxation Agreement was signed in 2006 and entered into force in June 2007. This gives New Zealand investors greater certainty when operating in Mexico by clarifying the taxation rights of the two countries and introducing measures to relieve double taxation.
NewZealand and Mexico have largely complementary economies, with NewZealand’s strength in agriculture and Mexico’s strength in manufacturing. Agriculture is an area with great potential for growth in trade and cooperation, particularly as Mexico seeks to diversify its trade profile, including through adding value to its traditional agriculture exports, and a number of visits focused on this sector have taken place in recent years.
New Zealand’s Special Agricultural Trade Envoy (SATE), Alistair Polson, visited Mexico during October 2009. SATE was invited by the Mexican Government to give a presentation at the inaugural Mexican forum on “Agrifood Policy in the Context of a Global Economic Crisis.” The presentation focused on New Zealand’s agricultural reforms and our market-driven approach to farming. SATE’s presentation also noted the benefits of greater agricultural trade links between Mexico and New Zealand.
MAF Director-General Murray Sherwin visited Mexico in June 2009 to lead the New Zealand delegation at the inaugural meeting of the Agricultural and Forestry Cooperation Committee with the state of Jalisco, as well as to have meetings with Mexican federal government officials and industry.
The Governor of the State of Jalisco, Mr Emilio González, visited New Zealand in October 2008 with a large public/private delegation to explore collaborative opportunities in a range of areas, most notably agribusiness. During the delegation’s five-day programme the Governor met with the then-Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Biosecurity and Fisheries Hon Jim Anderton and signed an Arrangement on Agricultural Cooperation between the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) and the State of Jalisco.
An air services agreement was signed in 1999. The agreement provides for open capacity for traffic between Mexico and New Zealand and for the introduction of third country traffic if agreed at a later stage. Under the agreement Air New Zealand and Mexicana have entered into code-share services between the two countries via LosAngeles. Upon its expiry in 2003, 2006 and again in March 2009, both governments agreed to extend the agreement for three years.
The Mexico-New Zealand Working Holiday Scheme (WHS), Mexico’s first, was signed during President Calderón’s visit to NewZealand in September 2007. The scheme allows 200 people aged 18-30 from each country to spend a year travelling, working and studying in the other. The scheme began on 31 March 2008 and was fully subscribed by young Mexican’s in the 2009-2010 period.
An overarching education cooperation agreement was signed in 2004 during the visit to Mexico by an education mission led by then Minister of Education Trevor Mallard. New Zealand Education Counsellor for Latin America Dr Matthew O’Meagher visited Mexico in April 2009 to follow up on links established by the 2004 education mission and explore new potential for collaboration.
Many New Zealand universities and polytechnics, including Auckland, Otago, AUT, Massey and Weltec have formed relationships with Mexican counterparts, opening up opportunities for cooperation and student and staff exchanges. An increasing volume of university agreements (18 in total) reflect the educational interest between Mexico and New Zealand:
There is a relatively small but growing flow of Mexican students studying in NewZealand, as well as New Zealand students in Mexico, in recent years. In 2006 a total of 127 Mexican fee-paying students enrolled at New Zealand education providers, in 2007 this rose to 125 Mexican students; 159 students in 2008, and 163 in 2009. Most of them enrolled at universities and private education providers.
There is further scope for promoting the New Zealand PhD domestic fee policy initiative to Mexico. In 2008 a total of 16 PhD students from Mexico were enrolled with New Zealand universities.
The NewZealand Government awards up to two scholarships each year for Mexican students to finish their undergraduate studies in NewZealand. Mexican post-graduate students are also eligible for the NewZealand Government’s international doctorate scholarship programme. The Mexican Government awards up to four post-graduate scholarships to NewZealand students on an annual basis.
At the academic level, a number of exchanges and visits have taken place in recent years, including:
There has been wide range of cultural exchanges between NewZealand and Mexico in recent years. Examples include:
TePapa Chief Executive, DrSeddon Bennington, visited Mexico in July 2006 to discuss cooperation and possible exhibition exchanges. In follow up, the Oceania Curator of the Mexican National Museum of Cultures, Dr Raffaela Cedraschi, undertook a two week residency at Te Papa in October 2007.
Following on from Dr Bennington’s visit to Mexico Te Papa is in discussions with Instituto Nacional De Antropologia E Historia (INAH) regarding a major Aztec exhibition travelling to New Zealand in 2011, in exchange for Te Papa’s E Tu Ake exhibition
The Kahurangi Maori performing arts group performed in Mexico for Waitangi Day and the opening of a new Chancery (Embassy office) in February 2004 and visited again in May 2007 to perform in the Ollinkan Festival of indigenous cultures.
DameMalvina Major performed at the prestigious Cervantino Performing Arts Festival in October 2004, as did the dance troupe Black Grace in 2005 and the New Zealand String Quartet in 2006.
Mexican and NewZealand citizens are able to travel to each other’s country for up to 90 days without needing to apply for a visa.
An umbrella agreement on scientific and technological cooperation was signed in August 1983. In March 2004 the NewZealand Ministry of Research, Science and Technology (MoRST) and its Mexican counterpart CONACYT took steps to promote relations by signing an “Arrangement on Scientific, Research and Technological Cooperation”.
Building on this Arrangement, the Ministry of Economic Development is currently finalising a Renewable Energy Cooperation Arrangement with the Mexican Secretariat of Energy (SENER).
Mexican scientists are members of the LEARN (Livestock Emissions and Abatement Research Network) and have participated in conferences in NewZealand in 2007 and Uruguay in 2008. New Zealand and Mexico are also members of the Global Research Alliance on Agriculture Greenhouse Gases.
Mexico and New Zealand have cooperated closely on disarmament issues for many years, notably over the annual United Nations Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty resolution. Both are members of the New Agenda group dedicated to making progress on nuclear disarmament issues and the Oslo Process on cluster munitions, and belong to regional Nuclear Weapon Free Zone treaties.
Cooperation is steadily increasing in multilateral human rights fora; NewZealand and Mexico worked closely on the development of the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
NewZealand was a strong supporter of Mexico’s successful candidacy for a seat on the United Nations Security Council for the periods 2002 – 2003 and 2009 – 2010, and Mexico will support New Zealand’s candidature to the same body for the period 2015 - 2016.
Environmental issues are also an important area of cooperation, particularly in climate change and whales conservation. NewZealand’s Climate Change Ambassador, Adrian Macey, visited Mexico for climate change talks in May 2008.
In the multilateral/regional trade area, NewZealand and Mexico are both members of APEC, the OECD and the WTO, as well as FEALAC (the Forum for East Asia – Latin America Cooperation).
The NewZealand Embassy in Mexico City operates a Head of Mission Fund to support small scale, community-based development assistance projects.
In the 2008/09 financial year, funding was granted to a diverse range of groups, including indigenous women producing compost and growing organic produce in the state of Morelos, and community farmers in the state of Guerrero.
The NewZealand Embassy in Mexico City operates a Head of Mission Fund to support small scale, community-based development assistance projects.
In the 2008/09 financial year, funding was granted to a diverse range of groups, including indigenous women producing compost and growing organic produce in the state of Morelos, and community farmers in the state of Guerrero.
Visits between NewZealand and Mexico have enjoyed a new momentum since the launch of the Latin America Strategy in 2000. In addition to the wide range of people-to-people contacts in the cultural, scientific and education fields, high-level visits have added depth to the bilateral relationship.
March 2010 Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lourdes Aranda, for bilateral foreign policy consultations.
October 2008 Governor of the State of Jalisco, Mr Emilio González and delegation, to explore collaborative opportunities, particularly in agribusiness.
August 2008 CEO of ProMexico, Dr Bruno Ferrari, with a delegation of public/private sector representatives, to explore commercial and technological cooperation opportunities.
January 2008 Delegation from the Mexican Senate and Chamber of Deputies, for a bilateral visit following participation in the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum in Auckland
Official Name - United Mexican States
Land Area – 1,953,162 sq km
Population – 106.7 million (mid 2008 estimate)
Capital City – Mexico City
Religion – Catholic
Official Language – Spanish
Currency – Peso
Exchange Rate – US$1 = 11.13 MXM (average 2008)
Political system – Presidential; Federal; Universal adult suffrage
National government – Cabinet appointed by President
National legislature – Bicameral Congress
Last election –, Congressional (lower house only) – July 2009
Next elections due – Presidential and Congressional (upper and lower house) – July 2012
Head of State – President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa
Head of Government – President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa
Key Ministers –
Foreign Affairs: Patricia Espinosa Cantellano
Economy: Gerardo Ruiz Mateos
Agriculture: Francisco Javier Mayorga
Finance and Public Credit: Ernesto Cordero
Main political parties –
Government: National Action Party (PAN)
Opposition: Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD)
GDP – US$1,475.1 billion (2009 estimate)
GDP Per Capita (PPP) – US$13,200 (2009 estimate)
Real GDP Growth – -7.1% (2009 estimate)
Exports FOB – US$223.6 billion (2009 estimate)
Imports FOB – US$234.6 billion (2009 estimate)
Consumer Price Inflation (average) – 5.3% (2009 estimate)
Gross external debt – US$177 billion (December 2009 estimate)
Current account – deficit of US$10.12 billion (2009 estimate)
Source: Economist Intelligence Unit (2010 figures)
top of pageThe New Zealand Embassy in Mexico City is responsible for Mexico.
The Mexican Embassy of Mexico in Wellington is responsible for New Zealand.
The New Zealand government's Safe Travel website has comprehensive travel information including advice on the safety and security of travel to Uruguay.
Further enquiries may be directed to:
Consular Division
Tel: +64 4 439 8000
Fax: +64 4 439 8532
New Zealanders and Mexicans travelling to each other's country for less than three months do not need to apply for a visa beforehand.
