ISLAMABAD, SEP 9 /DNA/ – Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, held a meeting with H.E David Pine, High Commissioner-designate of New Zealand to Pakistan, who called on the Minister along with Ms. Avanthi Kalansooriya, Policy and Public Affairs Adviser, New Zealand High Commission, and Mr. Moin M. Fudda, Honorary Consul General of New Zealand for Pakistan, to discuss bilateral relations, trade, investment and avenues for strengthening economic cooperation.
Mr. Pine congratulated the Finance Minister on Pakistan’s successful return to international capital markets through the recent Eurobond issuance and appreciated the progress made towards macroeconomic stability and economic reform. He also briefed the Finance Minister on New Zealand’s approach to strengthening its engagement with Pakistan and the wider South Asian region.
The Finance Minister highlighted Pakistan’s progress in achieving macroeconomic stability and emphasized that the Government’s focus is now on sustaining the reform momentum while moving towards investment, exports, employment generation and sustainable economic growth. He noted that policy continuity, fiscal discipline and structural reforms would remain important to maintaining this trajectory.
The discussion focused on strengthening business-to-business (B2B) engagement between Pakistan and New Zealand. Mr. Pine highlighted the importance of encouraging businesses from both countries to establish direct linkages and identify areas of practical commercial interest. He also shared the New Zealand side’s interest in promoting more regular bilateral trade discussions to identify and address trade-related issues as they emerge.
The Finance Minister underscored that private-sector engagement should lead the way in expanding commercial relations, with the Government facilitating the necessary ecosystem and support. He noted that formal trade agreements can accelerate existing business activity, while sustained business linkages are essential for creating the foundation for stronger trade and investment flows.
The discussion also covered the large number of Pakistani scholars and students in New Zealand, particularly in agriculture-related fields. The Finance Minister emphasized the importance of strengthening the link between such educational opportunities and practical outcomes in Pakistan, including through the return of trained professionals and greater application of their knowledge and expertise. He also highlighted the potential to leverage technology and innovation to further support economic development and cooperation.
The Finance Minister highlighted the potential for greater cooperation in the new economy, particularly in digital services, technology and young talent. He noted Pakistan’s growing IT and freelance ecosystem and emphasized the opportunity for the country to leapfrog in emerging sectors while continuing efforts to improve the competitiveness of traditional export industries.
Mr. Pine shared New Zealand’s interest in identifying opportunities across a range of sectors, including agri-tech and other areas of private-sector cooperation, and emphasized the importance of building stronger connections between the business communities of the two countries.
Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb welcomed the renewed engagement with New Zealand and emphasized the importance of continued interaction at both government and private-sector levels to translate the shared interest into concrete trade, investment, knowledge and skills partnerships.
Mr. David Pine appreciated the Finance Minister’s engagement and reaffirmed New Zealand’s interest in strengthening bilateral economic relations with Pakistan. He expressed support for greater business-to-business engagement and continued dialogue to identify practical opportunities for cooperation.
