Economic Alliance Snohomish County helps welcome New Zealand Prime Minister

On June 3, Economic Alliance Snohomish County joined Greater Seattle Partners to welcome New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with a welcome reception held at the Seattle Aquarium. Ardern’s visit to the US last week was a trade mission as part of the New Zealand Government’s reconnection strategy to support export growth and the return of tourists post COVID-19.

“The United States is our third largest trading partner and is our largest market for services,” the Prime Minister said. “US firms are planning multi-billion-dollar investments in cloud computing capability in New Zealand which will unlock big growth opportunities for digital exports to the world and we want to see more of that.”

Bilateral trade between New Zealand and the US was worth about NZ$18.5 billion ($12 billion) in 2021, with annual growth averaging 5% over the past 15 years.

To welcome the Prime Minister, Greater Seattle Partners brought together tribal leaders from the Muckleshoot and Suquamish tribes, as well as Alaska Airlines, Amazon, Boeing and public and private partners from across the region. Wendy Poischbeg, Vice President of Economic Development for Economic Alliance Snohomish County attended the welcome reception.

“Sharing a brief conversation with Prime Minister Ardern and meeting members of her trade delegation was inspiring,” Poischbeg said. “These connections will open new doors and hopefully create new business opportunities for our Snohomish County businesses.”