Flexing mussels with sister city | Bay of Plenty News | Local News in Bay of Plenty

One of China's leading aquaculture companies has agreed to sell as many mussels as New Zealand can supply, in its new retail chain.

The far-reaching deal was secured during the Bay of Plenty business delegation's visit to the bustling coastal city of Yantai yesterday.

Opotiki Mayor John Forbes struck the agreement sitting in the back of Professor Che Shi's Mercedes car while returning from a tour of the professor's sea farms.

Mr Che, president of Shandong Oriental Ocean Group, told Mr Forbes about his retail plans and in typical Kiwi straightforwardness the Mayor asked him: "Would you put New Zealand greenshell mussels in your shops?"

Mr Che did not flinch: "Yeah, okay. Tomorrow."

It was the culmination of Tauranga's 24-year sister city relationship with Yantai - building long-term relationships and mutual co-operation to do business.

"There and then the relationship over such a long period paid off, not just for Tauranga but for the aquaculture industry in New Zealand," said Mr Forbes, who led an aquaculture group from Opotiki accompanying the Tauranga delegation.

Most of the product sent to Oriental Ocean Group will be processed at the North Island Mussel Processors factory in Tauranga under the new brand, Pure New Zealand Greenshell Mussels, involving five exporters.

Mr Che's company is opening 150 stores through mainland China within 12 months and 500 within three years.

Oriental Ocean Group will be processing and selling up to 300 different products, including collagen cosmetics, and the mussels will be the only ones sold directly after arriving from Tauranga.

Mr Che would not confirm numbers at this stage but he said he was looking at 10,000 to 20,000 tonnes a year.

"We need to get into the market and after a while it may be more than this number."

Asked why he was interested in the greenshell mussel, he said: "The quality."

At present, New Zealand produces 90,000 tonnes of mussels a year, with more farms coming on stream - and Mr Che is talking about ordering at least 10 per cent of the total production.

With Mr Forbes on the Eastern Bay group was Peter Vitasovich, chairman of Aquaculture NZ, owner of Greenshells New Zealand and a director/shareholder of North Island Mussel Processors.

"Peter left Yantai [yesterday] still floating on cloud nine.

"It's one of the most significant outcomes you can get for New Zealand aquaculture," Mr Forbes said.

The exporting deal will be worth millions of dollars.

Mr Che - who also owns two hotels and high rise apartment buildings - will be part of a 10-strong Yantai delegation visiting Tauranga in mid-September, led by Yantai Mayor Zhang Jiangting and three of his Ministers.

Then, Mr Che will sign an exporting deal and the first mussels will be sent soon after - when the new processing season is under way.

Mr Che will also head for Opotiki and hold further talks to establish a joint venture. - Oriental Ocean is keen to provide technical expertise and resources for Eastern Seafarms which is developing a large marine farm off the Opotiki coast.

Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby yesterday signed an updated sister city agreement with Mayor Zhang of Yantai.

The agreement stipulates that Tourism Bay of Plenty, Education Tauranga and Priority One will be the first point of contact for all Tauranga's tourism, educational and economic development matters, and Yantai will set up a liaison unit within its Municipal Office.

"We've transferred the relationship to the local agencies which are part ratepayer funded, that's a huge step forward," Mr Crosby said.

"The agencies will now have a stronger focus to follow up on the discussions in Yantai.

"It will make it easier for Tauranga to keep the momentum going - it's something we have struggled with after previous visits," he said.

Yantai, with a population of 6.5 million, has just been rated by the World Bank in the top six of Golden Cities in China, following a survey of 120 Chinese cities and 12,400 manufacturing firms.

Yantai featured for its excellent investment climate, outstanding quality of life, natural environment, cost efficiency and harmonious society.

Graham Skellern's trip has been equally funded by the Bay of Plenty Times, Environment Bay of Plenty and Export NZ Bay of Plenty.