Steps Up

Nauru

Its Nz

Buying

New Zealand is stepping up its exports to phosphate-rich Nauru - possibly at the expense of Australia. An

Auckland engineering

company. A. & G. Price Ltd. has boosted exports with two orders so far this year for 40 rail wagons valued at $NZ280.000 and conveyor belt trimmers

costing $20,000.

The New Zealand Export

Import Corporation - a

government-backed body

whose role is to help develop overseas markets for New Zealand companies — co ordinated these sales and the

corporation’s general manager.

Stan Stanworth. sees them as the tip of a substantial trade

‘iceberg’.

New Zealand’s exports to Nauru for the year to June 1978 totalled only $663,000 against

phosphate imports of $16

million.

Two visits to Nauru by cor poration representative John Atkins in the past year have yielded business each time. On his last trip there Mr Atkins reported many more New Zealand goods in evidence, including beer, which is some thing of a victory for the brew ery concerned since Nauruans have consumed Australian beer almost exclusively until recently, said Mr Stanworth. ‘New Zealand whiteware. motor parts and other heavy engineering items also appear to be developing a market there. Clearly there’s a gradual shift away from trade with Australia towards New Zealand and as long as our

prices, quality and delivery

times keep up. there’s no reason why we can’t sell even more.'