AfricaAsia NorthAsia South and SoutheastAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaArgentinaBrazilChileColombiaCubaEl SalvadorGuatemalaMexicoPeruUruguayVenezuelaMiddle EastNorth AmericaPacific
Find MFAT's information paper on a country or territory. (We don't have information papers on all countries.)
A New Zealand Embassy was established in Lima in 1972, but closed in 1990 for financial reasons and because of the difficult conditions prevailing in Peru at that time. The New Zealand Ambassador in Santiago, Chile is responsible for Peru. The Peruvian Embassy in Wellington also closed in 1990, but re-opened in 1996.
Peru is a focus country under the Government’s Latin America Strategy. The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding establishing formal foreign policy talks in May 1998. The first two rounds of talks took place in Lima in June 2002 and July 2004, with further rounds in Wellington in November 2005 and in Lima in October 2006.
Trade has been a key element in the Peru-New Zealand relationship. Peru has been a significant market for New Zealand dairy products, although a recent decline in dairy exports has seen overall trade figures fall sharply as milk production has risen in Peru. New Zealand exports to Peru to the year June 2008 increased significantly, however, to NZ$54.59 million. Imports from Peru also increased to June 2008, to $20.53 million.
The Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (or TPP, formerly known as P4) was signed by New Zealand, Chile, Singapore and Brunei in 2005, and came into force for those countries in 2006. A binding Environment Cooperation Agreement and a binding Labour Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding, which had been negotiated as part of the TPP package, were signed concurrently.
One of the objectives of TPP was to create a trade agreement that could be seen as a model within the Asia-Pacific region and could potentially attract new members. The agreement is open to accession “on terms to be agreed among the parties, by any APEC economy or other state”.
On 22 September 2008, comprehensive negotiations for the United States to join TPP were launched. On 20 November 2008, it was announced that Australia and Peru also intend to participate in negotiations. The first round of negotiations was scheduled to take place in March 2009, but has been postponed to allow the US Administration time to conduct a general review of US trade policy.
Read more on the TransPac page of this website.
An agreement on cooperation in agricultural health matters between the Peruvian agricultural agency, SENASA, and the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture was signed in June 2002 during the visit by the New Zealand Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade to Peru.
Peru was a signatory to the Multilateral Agreement on the Liberalisation of International Air Transport, which entered into force in 2002, along with New Zealand. However, Peru announced in 2004 its decision to withdraw from the agreement. New Zealand has since sought to re-activate an "open skies" air services agreement that was negotiated with Peru in 1999, but never signed.
In October 2004 New Zealand soprano Dame Malvina Major gave a concert in Lima. In July 2006, Chief Executive of New Zealand’s national museum, Te Papa Tongarewa, Dr Seddon Bennington, visited Peru’s foremost museums to discuss potential cultural cooperation.
New Zealand contributed to a joint presentation with Peru at the January 2008 APEC preparatory symposium in China on the theme 'Education to Achieve 21st Century Competencies and Skills for All'.
Victoria University of Wellington ran a pilot English language training programme on behalf of New Zealand’s Agency for International Development for 30 Peruvian government officials in 2006-07. There were 37 fee-paying Peruvians studying in New Zealand in 2007.
Unitec signed a statement of agreement with the Peruvian University of Applied Sciences in 2004.
Auckland University (The APEC Studies Centre) has links with the Universidad del Pacífico, which also hosts an APEC Study Centre.
New Zealand and Peru signed a working holiday agreement during the APEC leaders’ meeting in Peru in November 2008. The scheme is expected to come in effect from mid-2009.
New Zealand and Peru are both members of the Cairns Group and cooperate where there are shared interests in the World Trade Organisation and United Nations.
In 1989 Peru acquired the status of Antarctic Treaty Consultative Party with New Zealand support. Peru hosted the 23rd Antarctic Consultative Meeting in Lima in May 1999.
An agreement for technical cooperation on fisheries between Peru’s Maritime Institute (IMARPE) and the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences (IGNS) was signed in May 1998. In 2005 IMARPE signed a cooperation agreement with New Zealand NGO Southern Seabirds Solutions to mitigate by-catch of seabirds in fishing practice.
Peru is participating in the negotiations towards a South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation and will host the next round of negotiations in May 2009.
During the late 1970s New Zealand funded a pasture development project in the highlands of southern Peru based around the town of Puno. Current New Zealand development assistance includes post-graduate scholarships for Peruvian students to study in New Zealand, short term training awards, and a head of mission fund for small-scale, community-based projects. In July 1999 the Government waived outstanding debts of US$5 million as a result of trade credits extended in the 1970s.
A revised Latin America development programme of New Zealand’s Agency for International Development (NZAID) includes the Andean sub-region of Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador as one of its areas of focus, with thematic priorities being sustainable rural development and good governance. The programme is supporting two multilateral agencies who are working to improve the livelihoods of poor farming communities in Andean Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador:
Several New Zealand ministers and senior officials have visited Peru during its hosting of APEC in 2008. Prime Minister John Key attended the APEC Leaders Summit meeting in Lima in November 2008, together the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon Murray McCully and Minister of Trade, Hon Tim Groser, who also attended the APEC Annual Ministers Meetings held immediately prior to the Leaders’ Summit. Hon Chris Carter, Minister of Education attended the APEC Education Ministers in Lima in June. Hon Phil Goff, Minister of Trade, visited Arequipa in May 2008 to attend the APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting. Mr Ray Salter, CEO of the Ministry of Tourism, attended the APEC Tourism Ministers’ meeting also in Lima in April 2008.
Hon Jim Sutton, Roving Ambassador for Trade, visited Lima in October 2006 to encourage Peru to consider accession to the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (P4).
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Hon Phil Goff visited Peru in January 2002. Minister Goff made a joint declaration on bilateral cooperation with his Peruvian counterpart, Diego Garcia-Sayan, and signed an agreement on Antarctic cooperation with Peru.
Hon. Jim Sutton, Minister of Agriculture and Minister for Trade Negotiations attended the Presidential Inauguration of Alejandro Toledo in July 2001.
Prime Minister Shipley visited Peru in May 1999 as part of an APEC focused visit to Chile, Peru and Mexico. Minister for International Trade, Dr. Lockwood Smith, visited Peru in July 1999, and Minister of Agriculture John Luxton visited in August 1999.
Foreign Minister Rt Hon Don McKinnon’s visit to Peru in May 1998 was the first ever visit there by a New Zealand Foreign Minister.
The National Director of SENASA visited New Zealand in April 2006 to hold talks with Biosecurity New Zealand and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Foreign Minister de Trazegnies met with New Zealand Foreign Minister McKinnon in Wellington in January 1999 after attending a Ministerial-on-Ice in Antarctica, and both President Fujimori and de Trazegnies returned to New Zealand in September 1999 for the APEC meetings in Auckland.
President Fujimori made the first State visit by a Peruvian President to New Zealand in June 1998.
| Official Name | República de Perú |
| Land Area | 1,285,216 sq km |
| Population | 29.1 million (2008 estimate) |
| Capital City | Lima |
| Religion | Catholic (89%) (1993 census) |
| Official Language | Spanish |
| Currency | Peru Nuevos Soles |
| Exchange Rate | US$1 = 3.21 Soles (February 2009) |
| Political system | Presidential democracy |
| National government | Alan Garcia Peréz leads the government; his party, the Partido Aprista Peruano (Apra), has 36 of 120 seats in Congress |
| National legislature | Congress consists of a 120-member single chamber, which can be dissolved once during a presidential term |
| Last election | April 2006 |
| Next election due | April 2011 |
| Head of State | Alan García Pérez |
| First Vice-President | Luis Alejandro Giampietri |
| Head of Government | Javier Velasquez |
| Key Ministers | Ministers as at 11 July 2009 |
| Agriculture: | Dante De Cordova |
| Defence: | Rafael Rey |
| Economy & finance: | Luis Carranza |
| Education: | José Antonio Chang |
| Energy & mining: | Pedro Sánchez |
| Environment: | Antonio Brack |
| Foreign relations: | José García Belaunde |
| Health: | Oscar Ugarte |
| Housing, construction & sanitation: | Francis Allison |
| Interior: | Octavio Salazar |
| International trade & tourism: | Martin Perez |
| Justice: | Aurelio Pastor |
| Labour: | Manuela Garcia |
| Production: | Mercedes Aaroz |
| Transport & communications: | Enrique Cornejo |
| Women & social development: | Nidia Vilchez |
| Central Bank president: | Julio Velarde |
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
| GDP | |||
| Nominal GDP (US$ bn) | 127.6 | 125.5 | 133.8 |
| Nominal GDP (Ns bn) | 373 | 391 | 419 |
| Real GDP growth (%) | 9.8 | 1.3 | 2.5 |
| Expenditure on GDP (% real change) | |||
| Private consumption | 8.8 | 1.8 | 2.2 |
| Government consumption | 3.9 | 9.4 | 7.2 |
| Gross fixed investment | 24.8 | -4.1 | 1.2 |
| Exports of goods & services | 8.2 | -6.9 | 1.3 |
| Imports of goods & services | 19.9 | -7.7 | 1.2 |
| Origin of GDP (% real change) | |||
| Agriculture | 6.7 | 2.1 | 3.5 |
| Industry | 8 | -2.5 | 3.2 |
| Services | 11 | 2.8 | 2.1 |
| Population and income | |||
| Population (m) | 29.1 | 29.4 | 29.8 |
| GDP per head (US$ at PPP) | 8,458 | 8,517 | 8,644 |
| Recorded unemployment (av; %) | 8.1 | 9 | 8.7 |
| Fiscal indicators (% of GDP) | |||
| Public-sector balance | 2.3 | -1.6 | -0.5 |
| Public-sector debt interest payments | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.3 |
| Net public debt | 24.5 | 25 | 23.9 |
| Prices and financial indicators | |||
| Exchange rate Ns:US$ (end-period) | 3.14 | 3.12 | 3.16 |
| Exchange rate ¥:Ns (end-period) | 28.92 | 30.73 | 29.77 |
| Consumer prices (av; % change) | 5.8 | 4.1 | 3.1 |
| Producer prices (av; % change) | 8.9 | 1 | 2.5 |
| Stock of money M1 (% change) | 10.5 | 4.8 | 7.3 |
| Stock of money M2 (% change) | 23.2 | 9.9 | 5.9 |
| Lending interest rate (av; %) | 23.7 | 20 | 21.5 |
| Current account (US$ m) | |||
| Trade balance | 3,090 | -2,103 | -1,612 |
| Goods: exports fob | 31,529 | 20,688 | 22,116 |
| Goods: imports fob | -28,439 | -22,791 | -23,728 |
| Services balance | -1,929 | -1,726 | -1,831 |
| Income balance | -8,144 | -6,158 | -6,458 |
| Current transfers balance | 2,803 | 3,042 | 3,245 |
| Current-account balance | -4,180 | -6,946 | -6,657 |
| External debt (US$ m) | |||
| Debt stock | 34,940 | 33,675 | 34,242 |
| Debt service paid | 5,451 | 5,215 | 4,415 |
| Principal repayments | 4,335 | 4,351 | 3,528 |
| International reserves (US$ m) | |||
| Total international reserves | 31,254 | 27,848 | 26,532 |
| Source: IMF, International Financial Statistics. | |||
| (c) Economist Intelligence Unit 2009 | |||
Trade with New Zealand
| NZ Exports (FOB) | NZ$54.59 million (for year ended June 2008) |
| Main Exports | Milk and Cream NZ$24.13 million |
| Butter And Other Fats And Oils NZ$5.98 million | |
| Malt Extracts NZ$5.67 million | |
| Live cattle NZ$5 million | |
| Buttermilk, Yogurt, Kephir Etc, NZ$3.74 million | |
| NZ Imports (CIF) | NZ$20.53 million (for year ended June 2008) |
| Main Imports | Furskin Apparel NZ$8.05 million |
| Wooden railway sleepers NZ$1.89 million | |
| Fertilizer NZ$1.18 | |
| Dried Fruit NZ$1.16 million | |
| Boron Oxides, Boric acids NZ$0.96 million |
Source: Statistics New Zealand
The New Zealand Embassy in Chile is also responsible for Peru.
The Peruvian Embassy 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 Peru.
Further enquiries may be directed to:
Consular Division
Tel: +64 4 439 8000
Fax: +64 4 439 8532
