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New Zealand and Canada have long enjoyed close and friendly relations. Our shared Commonwealth heritage, parliamentary, legal, social and defence traditions, as well as people to people contacts engender a similar world view and we tend to identify with each other’s interests, concerns and values.
New Zealand works with Canada in the World Trade Organisation to further international trade liberalisation and development and to reinforce a sound rules-based system for world trade. Canada and New Zealand are also both members of APEC, promoting regional integration in the Asia Pacific region based on free and open markets. However, Canada’s supply management policy, under which certain agricultural products, notably dairy, receive protection, are of some concern to New Zealand.
As of December 2007 Canada was our 16th largest trading partner ($1.12 billion) with total exports of NZ$537 million. New Zealand export figures to Canada may be higher as some products are re-exported to Canada via the United States and not reflected in official statistics. New Zealand exports to Canada consists of mainly beef, sheep meat and milk powder, but there is also a diverse range of other products including agricultural machinery, iron or non-alloy steel and wine. Under Canada’s supply management policies, our dairy exports can face high tariffs (250-300%) and while beef exports are subject to quotas.
Imports from Canada were worth NZ$584 million in the year ending December 2007. Major imported items in 2007 included aircraft engines, polymers, fertilizers, sulphur, timber, telephone equipment, pork products and medicaments.
Canada is also a high value added market for New Zealand exporters, including in specialised manufacturing, ICT, food products and wine.
In a positive development, New Zealand, together with Australia, has been identified as one of 10 priority markets under Canada’s Global Commerce Strategy. (The other priority markets are ASEAN, Brazil, China, the European Union, India, Japan, Korea, Russia, and United States/Mexico). The priority sectors for the New Zealand market are biotechnology, agri-technology, information and communications technology, environmental technology and health industries.
Canada maintains a Trade Commission Office in Auckland. There is a New Zealand Trade and Enterprise office in Vancouver. In Auckland and Vancouver there is an active Canada New Zealand Business Association; and in 2008 resident New Zealanders formed a Kiwi Expatriates Abroad (KEA) Chapter in Toronto [external links].
There are some Canadian investors in New Zealand, most notably McCains (frozen foods) and communications company Stratos Global Corporation. New Zealand companies in Canada include Tait Electronics, Michael Hill Jeweller, Peace Software Glidepath, Orion, Interhealth, Healthphone, Intuto, Kahui Tautoko Ltd and Gallagher Security Management Systems.
There are New Zealand and Australasian social clubs for expatriate New Zealanders in many of the major cities across Canada including Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto.
The 1987 Agreement on Film and Video Relations between the two countries has been successful. Film and television cooperation has been growing, with particular interest in indigenous film linkages and co-productions. There is a recent but ongoing pattern of producers’ missions between Canada, and New Zealand and Australia. New Zealand film 'Whale Rider' won the People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival in 2002, and nine out of ten top-grossing centres in North America for 'Lord of the Rings' were in Canada.
Exact numbers of New Zealanders living in Canada are not clear, as immigrants tend to blend into the host society. An unofficial 2005 estimate of the number of New Zealanders (including those born outside of New Zealand) in Canada ranges from 12,000 to 15,000, with most living in British Columbia and Alberta.
There is a regular exchange of teachers with New Zealand organised through provincial authorities (Ontario and British Columbia). Wide ranges of tertiary institutions have relations with counterparts. These include formal university-to-university agreements involving both staff and in some cases the exchange of students for part of their courses. Both countries take a similar approach to marketing education overseas.
A successful bilateral working holiday scheme [external link] has been in existence since 1994, currently offering 2,000 visas each year on a reciprocal basis.
New Zealand and Canada currently have three sister city relationships:
- Victoria, BC, Canada and Napier City, New Zealand
- Warkworth, Ontario, Canada and Rodney District, New Zealand
- Duncan, BC, Canada Far North District, New Zealand
In the year to June 2008 over 52,000 Canadians visited New Zealand, an 11% rise over the previous year, making Canada the seventh largest source of tourists.
Tourism New Zealand [external link] has identified Canada as a market with continuing strong potential. This is supported by a new more liberal air services agreement between the two countries signed in late 2007. Air New Zealand now offers three times a week direct flights between Auckland and Vancouver, with additional services being added.
New Zealand and Canada work together in a number of international forums, particularly in the United Nations where New Zealand, Canada and Australia work together as the CANZ group to deal with issues of relevance to all three countries. New Zealand and Canada also work together in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum, APEC, OECD, WTO, and the Cairns Group of agricultural exporters. Canada is also a dialogue partner in the Pacific Islands Forum.
New Zealand and Canada enjoy a close and cordial defence relationship. Historically, our two armed forces have worked alongside each other in a number of international security operations. Recent strands to the defence relationship include co-operation in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Timor Leste, exercises and staff exchanges.
New Zealand’s recent contacts and interaction with armed forces include Canada’s contribution in Timor Leste; the commitment of both countries’ special- forces to Afghanistan; naval cooperation in various deployments in the Gulf; and shared service in various peacekeeping operations around the world. Canada’s traditional defence attachment to the North Atlandtic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has been balanced in recent years by a deepened interest in the Asia Pacific region, evidenced for example by the deployment of its naval assets to the Pacific coast with ship visits into the region including occasionally to New Zealand. These positive and longstanding defence links with Canada have been enhanced by New Zealand’s purchase of 105 Light Armoured Vehicles (LAV IIIs) from Canada. The LAV III has a high degree of commonality with the Canadian Army vehicle, and their purchase has increased contacts and interoperability between the two countries’ armed forces, adding a significant dimension to the overall security relationship by broadening defence cooperation. The Royal New Zealand Air Force [external link] is well into a NZ$226 million contract with Edmonton based SPAR Aerospace of Canada, to upgrade the mechanical, avionic, and structural components of five C-130H Hercules aircraft. The Life Extension Programme is to be completed by 2010.
The Canadian International Development Agency [external link] operates the Canada Fund for the South Pacific [external link]. It is the only remaining Canadian bilateral development assistance programme in the region. This $900,000 community based programme is operated jointly out of the Canadian High Commissions in Wellington and Canberra. The High Commission in Wellington is responsible for community based projects in the Western South Pacific, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga and Tuvalu.
The Minister of Transport, Hon Annette King, undertook a visit to Vancouver in early June 2008. In April 2008 the Governor-General, Hon Anand Satyanand and Her Excellency Mrs Susan Satyanand made the first ever visit by a New Zealand Governor General to Canada. In early November 2007 the Minister of Trade, Hon Phil Goff, led a trade mission to Canada on board the inaugural Air New Zealand Auckland-Vancouver flight. In September 2007 the Minister of Revenue, Hon Peter Dunne, visited Ottawa and met with three Canadian Ministers. Both the Minister for Housing and Ethnic Affairs, Hon Chris Carter, and Minister of Maori Affairs, Hon Parekura Horomia, visited Canada in April 2007.
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance, Ted Menzies visited New Zealand in August 2008. Canadian Minister of National Defence, Hon Gordon O’Connor, made an official visit to New Zealand in September 2006. The Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada, Hon Peter Milliken, led a multi-party parliamentary delegation to New Zealand in July/August 2005.
In addition to such high level visits, there are regular senior officials’ visits both ways.
Land Area – 9,984,670 sq km
Population – 33 million (April 2007 est.)
Capital City – Ottawa
Religion – Predominantly Christian, but with significant minorities of Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs
Official Languages – English, French
Currency – Canadian dollar (CAD)
Exchange Rate – NZ$1.00 = C$0.708 (23 September 2008)
Political system – Canada is a confederation with a parliamentary democracy.
Federal government– Minority Government led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper (Conservative Party).
Federal legislature – The bicameral Parliament consisting of a 308 member House of Commons elected on the basis of universal adult suffrage and a 105 appointed member Senate members appointed by the Governor General with the advice of the PM.
Last election – 24 January 2006
Next election – 14 October 2008
Head of State – Queen Elizabeth II represented by the Governor General, Her Excellency Michaelle Jean, who took office on 27 September 2005.
Head of Government – Prime Minister Stephen Harper (since 6 February 2006).
Key Cabinet Members
| Agriculture and Agri-Food | Gerry Ritz |
| Canadian Heritage | Josée Verner |
| Citizenship and Immigration | Diane Finlay |
| Environment | John Baird |
| Finance | James Flaherty |
| Fisheries and Oceans | Loyola Hearn |
| Foreign Affairs | David Emerson |
| Health | Tony Clement |
| Human Resources and Social Development | Monte Solberg |
| Indian Affairs and Northern Development | Chuck Strahl |
| Industry | Jim Prentice |
| Infrastructure | Lawrence Cannon |
| Inter-governmental Affairs Western Economic Diversification | Rona Ambrose |
| International Co-operation | Bev Oda |
| International Trade | Michael Fortier |
| Justice, Attorney General | Rob Nicolson |
| Labour | Jean-Pierre Blackburn |
| National Defence | Peter MacKay |
| National Revenue | Gordon O’Connor |
| Natural Resources | Gary Lunn |
| Public Safety/Emergency Preparedness | Stockwell Day |
| Public Works & Government Services | Christian Paradis |
| Transport | Lawrence Cannon |
| Treasury Board | Vic Toews |
| Veterans’ Affairs | Gregory Thompson |
| Secretary of State Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics | James Moore |
Key Opposition MPs |
Hon Stéphane Dion, Official Opposition Leader and Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada Gilles Duceppe, Leader of Bloc Québecois Jack Layton, Leader of New Democratic Party Elizabeth May, Leader of Green Party of Canada |
Main political parties |
Conservative Party (124 seats – 40.25%) Liberal Party (103 seats – 33.44%) Bloc Québecois (51 seats – 16.5%) New Democratic Party (29 seats – 9.4%) Other (1 seat – 0.3%) |
Canada is comprised of ten provinces (Ontario, Québec, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador and three territories (North West Territories, Nunavut and Yukon) [external links].
Each province operates a democratically elected Parliament. Provincial elections take place every four years. While not fully autonomous the provinces maintain responsibility for policy development and programme delivery in a number of key areas including healthcare and education.
| GDP (expenditure based) GDP Growth Inflation | Cda $1.265 trillion (2007) 2.6% (2006) 2.2 % (May 2008) | |||||
| GDP by sector (2006) | Services 68.5%* | Industry 29.2%* | Agriculture 2.3%* | |||
| GDP per capita | Cda $38,200 (est 2007) * | |||||
| Exports | Cda $450,550 million (2007) To USA $355,896 million (2007) or 78.99% (2007) | |||||
| Main exports | Petroleum products, motor vehicles, natural gas, lumber and wood products, aircraft, aluminium, electronics | |||||
| Imports | Cda $406,612 million (2007) To USA $220, 403 million (2006) or 54.2% (2007) | |||||
| Main imports | Crude oil, motor vehicles, pharmaceuticals, | |||||
| Inflation | 2.2% year ending May 2008 | |||||
| Net Debt Net Debt to GDP ratio | $467 billion (2008) 27.6% (2006) | |||||
| Unemployment Rate | 6.2 % year ending June 2008 | |||||
Source: Statistics Canada, except * CIA fact book
Trade with New Zealand
New Zealand High Commission in Canada (also responsible for Barbados, Guyana and Jamaica)
New Zealand Consulate-General in Vancouver
New Zealand Trade Office in Toronto
Canadian High Commission in Wellington
Canadian Consulate-General in Auckland also a Trade Commission Office
The Safetravel website provides a travel advisory for travellers to Canada [external link].
