California Welcomes New Zealand Prime Minister to Highlight Partnerships on Climate and Energy

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross joins Governor Newsom to highlight partnerships on climate, energy and more

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross joined Governor Newsom and Cabinet colleagues last week in welcoming New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in San Francisco. New Zealand and California share strong partnerships around climate action including transportation electrification, emission trading, clean energy, nature-based solutions, climate smart agriculture, and a circular economy.

As part of California's collaboration, CDFA continues to engage with New Zealand's Minister of Primary Industries (MPI) on a Letter of Intent signed in October 2022. Representatives of New Zealand also attend the recent State of Science Summit on methane reduction in animal agriculture as well as the Salinas Biological Summit.

CDFA and New Zealand's MPI will continue collaboration on climate issues, including shared action related to reducing livestock methane emissions and advancing biological solutions for sustainable pest management. Text of the joint statement on climate collaboration is available here.

California agricultural exports to New Zealand are estimated at more than $156 million.