Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
New Zealand's bilateral trade relationship with the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) of $3 billion will be given a further boost after it was announced recently that negotiations on the New Zealand and GCC Free Trade Agreement (FTA) have been successfully concluded.
Ministers are likely to formally sign the agreement in the first half of 2010.
Wayne Mikkelsen, Trade Commissioner of New Zealand in the UAE, said: "Bahrain is an important partner for New Zealand within this region. New Zealand's traditional trade interests lie in agriculture - particularly dairy and meat - but sectors such as technology, marine, education and professional services are growing in importance. A recent example of collaboration between the two countries was the role of a New Zealand company, PINZ in designing and establishing Bahrain Polytechnic."
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) is the New Zealand government's national economic development agency. According to its officials, New Zealand's future lies in the growth and successful internationalisation of their businesses. NZTE plays an important role in linking New Zealand companies with partners in Bahrain and the wider region.
"We are the gateway to creative, innovative, technologically advanced and internationally competitive New Zealand businesses. We also work with international companies to connect them with investment opportunities in New Zealand in areas such as agriculture, energy, manufacturing and technology," Mr Mikkelsen added.
Apart from mutual trade relations, both island nations will lock horns on the football pitch in Wellington this week. "The first leg in Bahrain was a hard fought game with total commitment from both teams and I expect the return leg in Wellington to be no different. New Zealand has the advantage of playing at home, but Bahrain is an extremely capable team and has demonstrated their abilities recently against very strong opponents in Asia. Whichever team wins, it will be a proud moment for a smaller nation to be represented in South Africa in 2010," Mr Mikkelsen said.
Sam Mulholland's photograph cheering his native home team at Bahrain's National Stadium with a banner 'Go Kiwi' was splashed across the local Arabic media. Mr Mulholland is the managing director of Standby Consulting - a disaster recovery and business continuity consultancy - and also set up his company in Bahrain three years ago.
The Central Bank of Bahrain requires all banks operating on the island to have a disaster management backup and Sam, with his extensive experience of 35 years in the IT market, offers his specialist services to Bahrain's banking industry. In his opinion the banking industry in Bahrain is spreading its wings and is getting expertise from various countries, New Zealand being one of them.
Mr Mulholland said: "There are around 10 businessmen from New Zealand who are running their own business or are in a partnership with Bahrainis on the island. When I arrived here initially there were 50-odd New Zealanders but the numbers have grown due to co-operation between New Zealand and Bahrain in setting up Bahrain Polytechnic."
An avid football fan, Mr Mulholland cut his trip to New Zealand short to cheer on the Kiwis in Bahrain and was bowled over by the friendly crowd even though he was cheering the opposing team.
"The stadium in Wellington with a capacity of 30,000 is fully booked for the New Zealand-Bahrain match. I think the Bahrain team is going to have a hard time adjusting to the 15 degree centigrade cold and windy weather. The long journey to New Zealand is not going to make it any easier for them either. But I have associations in both camps and it will be interesting to watch the match. Bahrain and New Zealand have much in common. For starters we are both small, friendly island nations."
New Zealander, Andy Ventura, 44 is a project manager with Baker, Wilkins and Smith, a construction consultancy company with head office in the UK. He came to Bahrain three years ago and lives in Adliya. "I have a long-standing connection with the Middle East as I spent most of my childhood in Oman so coming to this part of the world was not a drastic lifestyle change."
A sailing enthusiast, he bought his own boat - Organised Kaos - and loves to sail on most days of the week. He won the top prize at the Audi-sponsored Autumn Regatta this year. "I have been sailing for most of my life and although the sport is not huge on the island it is gradually gaining popularity."
Despite not being a huge football fan - rugby is a far more popular sport in his native country - Andy has his predictions for the upcoming match in Wellington. "The Bahraini team might be the underdogs in the match as they are not used to the cold and windy weather conditions. But I hope it will be an interesting match and if New Zealand manages to play in the World Cup Finals then football fever will spread across New Zealand."
Andrew W A Trevis, 46, set up home in Adliya three years ago when he moved from Saudi Arabia to take a leading role as plant director of Kraft Foods in Bahrain. There are long-standing links of over 30 years between Middle East and Fonterra Brands - New Zealand's largest dairy milk company owned by 1,100 New Zealand dairy farmers.
Mr Trevis said: "In fact Fonterra Brands had its retail office in Manama before it moved to UAE a couple of years ago. New Zealand's trade and industry officials travel regularly to the region to explore opportunities. The Formula One Grand Prix put Bahrain on the map and now football is bringing the island nation to the wider international arena.
"I am a huge football fan and my wife, Jacinta, 35, and I went to the National Stadium to watch the match. I predict a 2-0 win for New Zealand because the home crowd will be enough to carry our national team through. My 21-year-old son back home has bought tickets to watch the match and if New Zealand win then I will definitely go to South Africa to watch the final."
