Todd McClay is the Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Forestry, Minister for Hunting and Fishing, Minister for Trade, and Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs. He has been the MP for Rotorua since 2008.

Todd held several Ministerial roles in the Fifth National Government with portfolios including Trade, State-Owned Enterprises and Revenue.

Todd has previously been a diplomat and was the Cook Islands and Niue Ambassador to the European Union. He has worked in business in Europe as well as government and public relations internationally.

Nicola Grigg is the Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Minister for Women, Associate Minister of Agriculture (Horticulture) and Associate Minister for ACC. Nicola has been the MP for Selwyn since 2020.

Nicola was born and raised on the family sheep and beef farm in Mt Somers, and studied at the New Zealand Broadcasting School, graduating with a Degree in Broadcast Communications and Diplomas in Television and Radio News.

Nicola has worked as a reporter and newsreader and was a press secretary for Sir Bill English during his tenure as Minister of Finance, and Prime Minister. Following that, Nicola worked with a wide range of agri-businesses in export marketing and business development.

H.E. Mr Lawrence Meredith arrived in New Zealand in January 2024 as the European Union Ambassador. He has built a career in international relations and development cooperation. With a strong foundation in modern languages, holding a First Class Honours B.A. in Russian and French from The Queen’s College, Oxford, Meredith is multilingual with proficiency in English, French, Russian, Spanish, German, and Italian.

Starting his career in 1993, Lawrence Meredith focused on economic and development cooperation with nations formerly part of the Soviet Union. He was involved in programmes aimed at supporting independent media, human rights, and rural development, fostering democratic values and social progress.

In 2000, Lawrence shifted his focus to the European Union’s external relations sector, focusing on global partnerships within the former USSR & Balkans Directorate and subsequently for Training & Youth within the DG Education.

His trajectory within the European Commission is marked by leadership positions, including serving as Assistant to the Director-General of DG Enlargement. As Head of Unit for Policy & Strategy, he led efforts in shaping the EU’s enlargement strategy.

From 2015 to 2023, Lawrence Meredith served as the Director for Neighbourhood East & Institution Building at DG NEAR, managing relations and cooperation with Eastern Partnership countries. He also initiated the Young European Ambassadors programme, significantly enhancing the EU’s engagement with 900+ youth across the region.

Lawrence enjoys biking, birdwatching, and supporting Bradford City.

Dr. Elms is Head of Trade Policy at the Hinrich Foundation in Singapore. Prior to joining the Foundation, she was the Executive Director and Founder of the Asian Trade Centre (ATC). She was also President of the Asia Business Trade Association (ABTA) and the Board Director of the Asian Trade Centre Foundation (ATCF).

Dr. Elms serves on the board of the Trade and Investment Negotiation Adviser (TINA) at the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific (UNESCAP). She was on the International Advisory Council for APCO (2021-2023) and was a member of the International Technical Advisory Committee of the Global Trade Professionals Alliance and Chair of the Working Group on Trade Policy and Law. She was also a member of the World Economic Forum’s Trade and Investment Council for 2018-2020.

Prior to founding ATC/ATCF and the ABTA, she was head of the Temasek Foundation Centre for Trade & Negotiations (TFCTN) and Senior fellow of International Political Economy at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Dr. Elms received a PhD in political science from the University of Washington, an MA in International Relations from the University of Southern California, and bachelor’s degrees from Boston University.

She is the author of numerous articles, editor of several books, and regularly published the Talking Trade Blog. Dr. Elms also routinely appears on television and in major newspapers and magazines around the world to comment on trade and economic issues. Dr. Elms also makes frequent appearances at a range of global trade and economic workshops, conferences, capacity building sessions, and negotiations.

​Executive Director, Institute for International Trade and Director, Jean Monnet Centre on Trade and Environment, The University of Adelaide

Peter is a board member of the Australian Services Roundtable; a Director of the Board of Trustees of the International Chamber of Commerce’s Research Foundation; non-resident senior fellow of the Brussels-based European Centre for International Political Economy; and Associated Researcher at the German Institute of Development and Sustainability. He has decades of experience working in the trade policy and negotiations trenches traversing multiple geographies, institutions, and topics. His career has spanned academic institutions, government, think tanks, and consultancies.

As the Executive Director of the New Zealand International Business Forum (NZIBF), I lead the Forum’s engagement on key trade and economic policy issues and represent the interests of internationally focused New Zealand businesses in dialogue with government, industry partners, and international stakeholders.

With nearly two decades of experience in international trade, foreign policy, and regional engagement, I bring expertise in geopolitics and the Indo-Pacific, with previous postings in Hong Kong, New York and in New Caledonia.

Nick Swallow leads KPMG’s Strategic Advisory practice, providing commercial strategy advice to clients. Prior to KPMG, Nick was New Zealand Trade and Enterprise’s (NZTE) Trade Commissioner to the UK and Ireland, based in London. He supported New Zealand businesses through the trade matters brought about by Brexit and Covid, and to take advantage of the free trade agreement.

 Nick also spent three years in Brazil as Regional Director, leading NZTE’s Latin American team.

 Nick has extensive experience in International Trade, a strong understanding of the challenges faced by Kiwi businesses, and what it takes to be successful. 

 Nick holds a Master’s degree with distinction from the University of Cambridge, in Sustainability Leadership, a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and a Post-graduate Diploma in Business.

Blanche is the Managing Director of Kai Ora Honey Ltd operating 2000 hives with her whanau in Te Taitokerau. Studying both Business & Project Management; Blanche has worked in various roles from Management, Bank Institutions, International Sales and Marketing. Blanche is a key member of Māori Mīere Working Group with The Crown Māori Economic Growth Partnership and Māori Engagement Focus Group for ApiNZ.  Blanche won The University of Auckland 2017 Young Māori Business Leader Award & was 1 of 5 finalists for Next Women Magazine 2017 Women of the Year Award in the Business & Innovation category, Innovation Northland Finalist with Westpac Business Excellence Awards 2018.

Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Te Ātiawa, Te Atihaunui-a-Pāpārangi, Ngāti Kahungunu/Ngāti Kere, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Rārua, Rangitāne, Ngāti Kuia.

Hone McGregor is a highly experienced CEO, board director, and international consultant with over 30 years of leadership across public, private, and not-for-profit sectors.

Tina is the Director of Trade for New Zealand based in Taiwan, leading the New Zealand Trade Enterprise (NZTE) team. Before joining NZTE, she was the chief executive of investment firm IWIinvestor, providing wholesale, retail and private equity investment advisory services across New Zealand. 

Tina is experienced in investment, financial management, organisational strategy, internationalizing New Zealand business, business development, Indigenous business, and values-led business models. 

Tina has held many private and public governance roles. She is on the board of Massey University and is co-chair of Tupu Toa, an internship programme for Māori and Pacific professionals and corporate partners. She is also chair of Te Iwi o Ngati Tukorehe Trust, a tribally owned commercial entity.  

Tina holds commerce and Māori degrees from Massey and Victoria Universities. She is an alumna of Stanford University Executive School and of Te Hono — a collective of business leaders focused on shifting New Zealand’s primary sector from volume to value, through innovation and partnerships. Tina sits on the Te Hono governance team and is a director on the Australia New Zealand Chamber of Commerce in Taipei. 

Tina is mother to four children and a proud Māori woman who hails from the tribes of Ngāti Tukorehe, Ngāti Raukawa, Muaupoko, Rangitane ki te Wairau, Ngāti Rarua Atiawa, Ngāi Tahu. She is a strong champion for diversity and inclusion and is a member of NZTE’s global governance committee, supporting D&I for all team members across 50 offices globally.