Summary
Xia Yang, chair of New Zealand AFC Holdings Group and chair of Yunshijie Network Technology, said in an interview that differences between Guangdong and New Zealand are where cooperation can be strengthened. He reviewed efforts to take Guangdong prepared dishes into New Zealand. Ahead of the 2024 Spring Festival, a flight carrying Guangdong festive dishes such as Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and pen cai departed Baiyun Airport for New Zealand and Australia, opening the way for Chinese New Year dishes in international markets.
Xia was one of the drivers. Since 2023, his team has promoted prepared dishes overseas. In 2024, with guidance from the Guangdong Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, support from China Southern Airlines and media help, it used a three-way model of industry, media and overseas Chinese to promote prepared dishes in New Zealand and Australia.
Xia later helped launch the Guangdong Prepared Dishes Overseas Alliance and set up the Guangdong Prepared Dishes New Zealand Production, Sales and Research Centre in New Zealand. On challenges, Xia said New Zealand has strict import food rules covering traceability, labelling and allergen declarations, making it harder for lower-value products to enter. Local Cantonese chefs are costly and few, and dishes such as pigeon are difficult to prepare.
Specialty items that are distinctive and can retain freshness and quality are the next focus for overseas expansion. He said local consumers see Chinese food as a premium experience, so the aim is to win over foreign palates with Chinese flavours. On cooperation trends, Xia said China-New Zealand trade is moving faster from goods to services, and New Zealand firms want to bring Chinese technology and AI applications home.
Guangdong, a major manufacturing and trade province, has strengths in new energy, new materials and food and agricultural products that interest the New Zealand market. The differences between Guangdong and New Zealand are the focus for cooperation, and Guangdong firms can push ahead in AI plus foreign trade.
Commentary
Guangdong's push to take prepared dishes into New Zealand reflects a broader shift in China-New Zealand trade from commodities to higher-value food and services. About 95 percent of New Zealand's dairy output is exported, and China is its largest single market, but food import rules are strict, with high demands on traceability, labelling and allergen declarations, raising the bar for lower-value products. For local small and medium-sized firms, prepared dishes are not a simple export but require product redesign for local tastes and compliance.
Xia said difficult-to-make, distinctive items that keep their freshness and quality, such as pigeon, are the priority, suggesting differentiated product selection matters more than volume. Local consumers treat Chinese food as premium, meaning pricing should avoid low-price competition and stress quality and cultural experience. Notably, Xia said China-New Zealand trade is extending from goods to services, and New Zealand firms want Chinese AI applications.
Guangdong's strengths in new energy, new materials and food and agricultural products complement New Zealand's need for agricultural technology and clean technology. For New Zealand SMEs, this is both a challenge and an opportunity: the local food market may see more Chinese competitors, but firms can also tap Chinese technology to improve efficiency or develop new products. The AI plus foreign trade model promoted by Guangdong firms could offer more efficient digital tools for cross-border trade, and New Zealand firms could watch such platforms to cut sourcing and compliance costs.
The success of prepared dishes overseas will ultimately depend on turning Chinese flavours into standardised products that meet local rules and consumer habits, rather than simply copying the domestic model.
Keywords: Guangdong prepared dishes, New Zealand, Xia Yang, Chinese New Year dishes overseas, AI plus foreign trade, services trade, food import regulation, Guangdong-New Zealand cooperation
Photo by Julius_Silver on Pixabay
Source: Yangcheng Evening News
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