‘Tena koutou katoa’: Gov. Cox calls for increased trade between Utah and New Zealand

AUCKLAND, New Zealand — It’s a bit unusual for Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to apologize before even greeting his audience.

But it’s also a bit unusual for Cox to greet his audience in Maori.

“I probably will offend many of you,” he said at the beginning of remarks Monday at the University of Auckland. “So I hope you’ll forgive me.”

“Tena koutou katoa,” said Cox, delighting his audience. Translation: “Greetings to you all.”

The governor’s visit to the island nation’s largest university helped kick off an ongoing trade mission to New Zealand and Australia organized by World Trade Center Utah that’s populated by a sizable delegation that includes lawmakers, industry leaders and educators.

For most in the 2025 trade mission’s delegation, it’s their first official visit to Oceania. A similar visit was planned in 2020 for Cox’s predecessor — former Gov. Gary Herbert — before being nixed by the pandemic.

It’s natural for Utah and New Zealand to be trade partners, said Cox. The two regions share natural beauty that draws people from across the globe.

“We are not an island — and yet we are, in some senses,” he said.

“The people who settled Utah many, many years ago — our ancestors who came and settled in that land — (settled) a place that no one else wanted because it was very hard, it was very remote and it was very rugged.”

To survive, Cox added, Utah’s settlers had to learn to work together and innovate — and then innovate some more.

“Innovation has always been who we are — and it’s why we’ve been so successful as a state. It’s why we have had the No. 1 economy in the United States over the past 10 years.”

Cooperating and innovating also defines New Zealand’s history, said Cox.

“That’s why we’re here — because you too have those two lessons as part of your culture. And the opportunities to expand the ways we’re working together are boundless.”

The governor was joined Monday at the University of Auckland by the leader of the Beehive State’s flagship university, University of Utah President Taylor Randall.

With a smile, Randall apologized for not also greeting his New Zealand audience in Maori — before adding he “was thrilled” to be representing the state’s higher education system.

“It is a truly remarkable one that performs incredible research.”

Randall touted the ASPIRE collaboration between the Auckland university and Utah State University, “which has unbelievable power to transform the world and transportation.”

Meanwhile, he said, the University of Utah focuses primarily on the biotech and energy area. Many of the school’s innovations are now being commercialized by “well-funded companies.”

“We’ve seen in some of our (Auckland) visits already this morning the notion of protecting critical minerals processing for national interests,” he said. “I’m sure all of you are also deeply engaged in many of those things.”

University of Auckland Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) Frank Bloomfield welcomed Monday’s visiting delegation that included Cox, Randall, Utah Senate President Stuart Adams and several state lawmakers and Utah industry leaders.

“We’re here today,” said Bloomfield, “because of our shared interest in aerospace technology, transport electrification, advanced technologies such as quantum and photonics, and of course, our country’s collaboration and defense.”

Greg Murison, CEO at Auckland Uniservices, spoke of the New Zealand school’s history of innovation, research and entrepreneurship.

Engaging with delegations such as World Trade Center Utah, he added, is critical for the Auckland institution’s success.

“We don’t operate in isolation, and so creating these connections is very important to us, both at the government level, but also at industry level,” he said.

Additionally, the opportunities for startup companies in the University of Auckland’s portfolio, “may be able to help you and the aspirations that you have in Utah as well.”

Mining potential New Zealand business partners

Monday marked the first full day for World Trade Center Utah delegates to branch out across Auckland and connect with businesses and organizations that could soon prove to be global partners.

Delegates are participating in one of three “tracks”: aerospace and defense; critical minerals, and development and innovation.

The delegates opting for the aerospace and defense track, for example, spent Monday meeting and touring the facilities of several industry organizations such as the University of Auckland’s Space Institute — along with visits to a metal additive manufacturing company making headway into the space community and a satellite communications services provider.

On Tuesday, the World Trade Center Utah delegation will fly to Sydney, Australia, for several days of meetings across those same three industry tracks, highlighted by Cox’s participation in the International Mining & Resources Conference, Australia’s most influential mining event.

The timing appears fortuitous; President Donald Trump was scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia on Monday in Washington, D.C., and the topic is rare earth minerals and expanding the relationship between Australia and the U.S. in that important sector.

Development and innovation delegates will also spend time at the Sydney Quantum Academy. Australia is a global leader in the quantum ecosystem.

Meeting with New Zealand’s prime minister

Cox began his “Down Under” tour with a Saturday meeting with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

The governor was joined at the meeting by first lady Abby Cox and Senate President Adams.

The Utah press was not permitted to attend the gathering, but the governor’s office reported that the meeting was “very productive discussing key issues and priorities important to both New Zealand and Utah.”

On his X account, Cox thanked Luxon for a “productive meeting.”

“With nearly 30 Utah businesses and organizations, our state trade mission to New Zealand and Australia is focused on opening markets and building partnerships in aerospace and defense, critical minerals , fintech, and other shared strengths”

Cox added that the Beehive State and New Zealand are joining together “as pioneers” in energy generation and diversification.

“Today in Auckland, I signed a Letter of Intent with Hon. Simon Watts, New Zealand Minister for Energy, to expand our cooperation, including geothermal. This partnership will help advance Operation Gigawatt as we work to create energy abundance.”

New Zealand and Utah: A partnership of ‘shared interests’

In a New Zealand market briefing on Sunday, Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Melissa Sweeney said the relationship between New Zealand and the United States is the strongest it’s been in decades.

“Whether it’s working together with New Zealand on bilateral issues of concern, or working cooperatively in the Pacific region on issues of shared interests, or tackling some of the global challenges — including the war in Ukraine and the war in Gaza — the U.S. and New Zealand partnership is incredibly strong.

“Our relationship is guided by mutual respect, by our shared interests — and by trade.”

Sweeney added that over the past decade, bilateral trade between the two nations has nearly doubled to just over $17 billion. “And we spend tens of millions of dollars investing in businesses, including innovative research and development.”

Cox said the partnering opportunities for Utah and New Zealand “are grand.”

The state’s relationship with both New Zealand and Australia, he added, matter more than at any time since World War II.

“It’s a very tenuous time in the Pacific,” he said.

“We think that sub-national relationships really matter — and that we can help build and strengthen the relationships between the United States at a sub-national level, which will help us for decades to come.

“And certainly that has been reciprocated.”

For Utah’s businesses looking to expand into New Zealand: “This is an incredible opportunity. Auckland is growing rapidly.

“There’s a huge tech presence here. For our friends in agriculture, the ag community here is really important to the world’s food supply, and there are things that we can learn from them as well.

Meanwhile, Aerospace and Defense in New Zealand “is huge.”

“They launch a lot of rockets here in New Zealand, something that we want to do in our state as well,” said Cox. “And so there are opportunities for us to collaborate.”

The governor is eager for increased New Zealand business in the Beehive State.

He added, smiling, that he hopes to disrupt the current trade pipeline between New Zealand and Denver.

“I can’t imagine why anybody would be choosing Colorado over Utah when it comes to doing business,” he said, drawing laughs.

“I love my friends in Colorado, but I will tell you our airport is much closer to our downtown. Our regulatory environment is so much better than Colorado’s right now. Our economy is growing much faster than Colorado’s.

“And I think a lot of people are just missing out because they just don’t know what’s happening in Utah.”

James Waite, the divisional manager for New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the United States, noted that the Pacific region is “very challenged and highly contested.”

“We’re pretty worried about a lot of the headwinds — but we’re very determined to partner with the United States in addressing those headwinds, and also with our ally Australia,” he said.

Waite also noted the historic link between Utah and New Zealand through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Brigham Young University and other institutions.

“And, of course, there’s a strong Pacific community in Utah as well that includes a lot of people of New Zealand origins.”