Ekniti leads 9 Thai corporates to expand investment in New Zealand

Thairath•Politics•5d ago

Reader Briefing

Deputy Prime Minister Ekniti Nitithanpraphas led a delegation of nine major Thai companies to Auckland, New Zealand, to discuss economic cooperation and investment.

•Ekniti Nitithanpraphas chaired a Business Meeting in Auckland on August 21, 2026.
•Discussions focused on smart agriculture, energy transition, and advanced technology.
•Nine major Thai corporations participated in the negotiations to explore investment opportunities.
•Thailand and New Zealand are leveraging three existing free trade agreements to promote actual investment.

Overview

•On August 21, 2026, Ekniti Nitithanpraphas co-chaired a Business Meeting in Auckland, New Zealand, with Hon. Todd McClay.
•Ekniti Nitithanpraphas and New Zealand representatives discussed upgrading Thailand to smart agriculture and researching high-value agricultural products.
•Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) is conducting research on chicken protein in New Zealand, expanding from traditional chicken exports to extracting protein from chicken bones.
•B.Grimm and PTT are preparing to partner with New Zealand entities for clean energy projects to address New Zealand's lack of oil refineries and high import costs.
•Invest New Zealand offered a Fast Track system for Thai investors, which Ekniti Nitithanpraphas countered by promoting the Thailand FastPass measure to attract New Zealand investors.
•Narut Teodsteerasak stated that the event connected Thai and New Zealand private sector leaders to exchange strategic industrial development policies.
•The cooperation is based on three trade agreements: TNZCEP, AANZFTA, and RCEP, targeting food and bio-tech, clean energy, and advanced industry.
•Ekniti Nitithanpraphas invited New Zealand to use Thailand as a production base to connect to the ASEAN supply chain of 700 million people.

Full article content is available on the original source.

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Source: Thairath (Original)

Key Quotes

Ekniti Nitithanpraphas

"This success is not measured by investment figures alone, but by upgrading to a strategic partnership. New Zealand has highly specialized companies; BOI sees opportunities to match these strengths with Thai potential to create long-term economic value."

ความสำเร็จครั้งนี้ไม่ได้วัดที่ตัวเลขการลงทุนเพียงอย่างเดียว แต่อยู่ที่การยกระดับสู่หุ้นส่วนยุทธศาสตร์ นิวซีแลนด์มีบริษัทที่เชี่ยวชาญเฉพาะทางสูง บีโอไอมองเห็นโอกาสจับคู่จุดแข็งเหล่านี้กับศักยภาพไทย เพื่อสร้างมูลค่าทางเศรษฐกิจในระยะยาว

Key Entities

Person

Ekniti Nitithanpraphas(เอกนิติ นิติทัณฑ์ประภาศ)

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Thailand who led the business delegation to New Zealand.

Hon. Todd McClay

Minister of Trade of New Zealand.

Narut Teodsteerasak(นฤตม์ เทอดสถีรศักดิ์)

Secretary General of the Board of Investment (BOI).

Organization

Invest New Zealand(หน่วยงานส่งเสริมการลงทุนในนิวซีแลนด์ (Invest New Zealand))ℹ️

New Zealand investment promotion agency that co-organized the Business Meeting.

Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF)(บริษัท เครือเจริญโภคภัณฑ์อาหาร จำกัด (มหาชน) (CPF))

A Thai company researching chicken protein extraction in New Zealand.

B.Grimm Power(บริษัท บี.กริม เพาเวอร์ จำกัด (มหาชน))

A Thai company preparing to partner with New Zealand for clean energy projects.

PTT(บริษัท ปตท. จำกัด (มหาชน) (PTT))

A Thai company preparing to partner with New Zealand for clean energy projects.

Banpu(บริษัท บ้านปู จำกัด (มหาชน))