Oritain Joins New Zealand-Viet Nam Business Roundtable, Reinforcing Commitment to Growing Trade Relationship

Oritain was pleased to be selected to attend the New Zealand-Viet Nam Business Roundtable held in Auckland this week. The event brought together senior government officials and business leaders from both countries under the theme "Rising Together: A Modern Partnership for the Next Decade."

Rebecca Brocato, Oritain's Chief Government Affairs Officer, attended on behalf of the company, following an invitation from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE)

The invitation builds on Oritain's growing profile in trade and government circles across the region, coming on the heels of the company's selection to join the Prime Minister's Trade Mission to Singapore in 2024.

Being asked to take part in the Roundtable is a mark of recognition for the work Oritain has done building relationships across Southeast Asia, and Viet Nam in particular. The event offered a valuable opportunity to engage directly with government and industry stakeholders shaping the next chapter of the New Zealand-Viet Nam relationship, at a moment when both countries are looking to deepen ties across a broadening range of sectors.

 

Inside the Roundtable: Government and Industry Come Together

The Roundtable was convened as part of a wider visit to New Zealand by a high-level Vietnamese delegation, led by the President of Viet Nam.

Senior figures at the event included H.E. To Lam, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam and President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam; H.E. Le Hoai Trung, Member of the Politburo and Minister of Foreign Affairs; Hon Todd McClay, Minister for Trade and Investment; Caroline Beresford, New Zealand's Ambassador to Viet Nam; and Charles Finny, Chair of New Zealand Trade & Enterprise.

The event was designed to build on an already strong and productive relationship between New Zealand and Viet Nam, two countries that trade closely and effectively, with an eye toward extending that partnership into next-generation technology and emerging sectors.

NZTE had specifically sought to assemble a diverse group of New Zealand businesses known for their strong, established ties to Viet Nam.

Attendees heard directly from government officials on the importance of continued collaboration between the two countries, while extensive networking sessions at the start and close of the event gave New Zealand and Vietnamese businesses the chance to connect with trade experts, facilitators and government representatives from both sides.

Reflecting on the day, Brocato said the breadth of businesses in the room stood out. "I was struck by the diversity of the businesses present and the wide range of deep trade relationships and business relationships between the two countries, which is always really interesting and a privilege to be part of."

 

A Fast-Growing Market With Rising Strategic Importance

Viet Nam has emerged as one of New Zealand's fastest-growing trading partners and an increasingly significant market for New Zealand exporters. The numbers reflect that momentum: Viet Nam is now New Zealand's 19th-largest export destination, with two-way trade reaching NZ$3.41 billion in the year ended March 2026, an increase of 72 percent over the past five years.

Technology is viewed as a particularly promising area of opportunity, with demand growing across Viet Nam for solutions that lift productivity and improve quality of life, an alignment that speaks directly to the kinds of forward-looking, technology-enabled partnerships the Roundtable was convened to encourage.

For Oritain, the scale of that opportunity is a source of genuine enthusiasm. "As a business we are really excited about continued work in Vietnam and expanding our footprint in Vietnam with both new and existing customer relationships," Brocato said. "Viet Nam and the entire region is something that we really care about as a business."

 

Oritain Builds Stronger Footprint in Viet Nam

Oritain's presence at the Roundtable reflects a sustained and growing commitment to Viet Nam that runs well beyond a single event. Chief Executive Officer Alyn Franklin was recently in the country, and Oritain's Singapore-based APAC sales team travels in and out of Viet Nam on a frequent, ongoing basis.

Participating in high-level events of this kind plays an important role in supporting Oritain's client relationships and its ability to engage with government delegations, whether from New Zealand or Viet Nam. That engagement is a critical part of the broader work Oritain does to ensure governments on both sides understand and recognize the value of the work already under way with its customers.

Central to that work is Viet Nam's textile manufacturing sector, one of the most important industries in the country, particularly for cotton products. The scale and significance of Vietnamese textile manufacturing has made it a core focus for Oritain over a sustained period, and a sector where the company has built deep, long-standing relationships.

The Roundtable also opened the door to new areas of opportunity. "The roundtable was an opportunity to further educate those present on the extent of our existing relationships with Viet Nam, particularly in cotton, but also start exploring new relationships in timber.” Brocato said.

Oritain's participation in the New Zealand-Viet Nam Business Roundtable underscores the company's ongoing commitment to strengthening its presence across Southeast Asia and deepening its work with Vietnamese partners in cotton, timber and beyond. As trade between New Zealand and Viet Nam continues to grow at pace, Oritain is well positioned to support both the existing relationships it has built in the region and the new ones now taking shape.

 

More information:
mediainquiries@oritain.com