Minister Travels to USA and Canada

Transport Minister Jenny Shipley is to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Transportation Ministerial meeting in Vancouver, Canada.

"It is important for New Zealand to have a place at the table alongside the 17 other APEC member economies, who represent many of New Zealand's key trading partners.

"Efficient and reliable transport networks are vital to trade, and transport is one of the areas where good progress is being made towards APEC's liberalisation goals," Mrs Shipley said today.

The APEC meeting is from Sunday June 22 - Tuesday June 24.

Transport liberalisation will also be on the agenda when Mrs Shipley visits Washington DC, prior to the APEC meeting. The Minister will on behalf of the New Zealand Government sign a new air services agreement with the United States, during a meeting with US Secretary of Transportation, Rodney Slater.

"This open skies agreement has potentially very large benefits for New Zealand trade and tourism," Mrs Shipley said.

(The agreement will be signed at 11 am Wednesday June 18 US time, which is 3 am Thursday June 19 NZ time)

In Washington, Mrs Shipley will also be speaking on "the role of state sector reform in the economic restructuring of New Zealand", to a joint meeting of the Heritage Foundation and the US-NZ Council.

The Minister's first destination in the United States is California, where she will be inspecting a number of new developments in electronic road transport charging.

"It will be interesting to see how the US authorities are tackling some of the issues we are facing as a result of the Land Transport Pricing Study."

Mrs Shipley departs tonight and returns to New Zealand on Budget Day, June 26.