New Zealand's Maori-owned seafood companies are looking for more collaboration with Chinese partners to enter the Chinese market, Maori Development Minister Te Ururoa Flavell said Wednesday.
Flavell, who is currently heading a Maori trade delegation to China, was supporting seafood export companies exhibiting at the China Fisheries and Seafood Expo in the eastern port city of Qingdao.
Together the represented companies managed 40 percent of New Zealand's commercial fish quota, Flavell said in a statement from his office.
"What is clear to me is the importance of finding ways to create a single point of entry for Maori in the seafood industry exporting to China, in order to grow our collective impact. I am keen to explore this more and support greater collaboration," Flavell said.
New Zealand's seafood exports were estimated to total 1.3 billion NZ dollars (865.93 million U.S. dollars) and accounted for more than 90 percent of all fish landed.
The delegation would continue to meet government and commercial leaders in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong this week.
