On 30 May 2013, the New Zealand China Trade Association 2013 China Business Awards ceremony was held in the ballroom of the Langham Hotel in Auckland. KVB Kunlun International emerged from the fierce competition of nearly one hundred initial entrants to make the shortlist of 12 candidates, ultimately winning the "Best Use of Hong Kong by a New Zealand Company" business achievement award for its commitment to providing diversified, high-quality financial services to Chinese communities worldwide and its proactive expansion of business from Hong Kong into China and the broader Asian and global regions.
Six major awards were presented that evening, with all winners being leaders in their respective industries, listed companies, and pillar export enterprises of New Zealand, such as Christchurch dairy giant Synlait Milk (a company in which China's Bright Dairy holds a stake); renowned bee product producer the UMF Honey Association; New Zealand's largest domestic pharmaceutical company GMP Pharmaceuticals Ltd; and Alliance Group Limited, New Zealand's largest meat product exporter, founded in 1948. KVB Kunlun International was the only service-oriented enterprise to receive an award on this occasion.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand Xu Jianguo, Chinese Consul General in Auckland Niu Qingbao, New Zealand China Trade Association Chairman Tim White, and nearly 600 business representatives attended the event.
In his address, Prime Minister John Key said: New Zealand's entrepreneurs have made outstanding contributions to this country. As the first developed country to sign a free trade agreement with China, the people and businesses of both nations have benefited from it, with as much as ninety percent of New Zealand's products exported to China being duty-free. New Zealand places great importance on developing comprehensive cooperative relations with China and hopes to strengthen dialogue and exchanges with China and expand economic and trade cooperation.
Ambassador Xu Jianguo extended his heartfelt congratulations to the award-winning entrepreneurs and invited more New Zealand entrepreneurs to develop their businesses in China.
NZCTA Chairman Tim White said: "We are very pleased to see these outstanding entrepreneurs demonstrate the strong trade relationship between New Zealand and China through their remarkable contributions. These companies have overcome cultural and language barriers to achieve major success in trade, investment, and transactions between the two countries!"
Achieving success in international trade is crucial to ensuring New Zealand's place on the world stage. Established by the New Zealand China Trade Association in 2004, the NZCTA Trade Awards aim to recognise companies that have excelled in trade with China, demonstrated innovative initiatives, and achieved outstanding results. Since its inception, the award has attracted many entrants, including companies engaged in education, urban planning, design, and import and export trade in China, as well as those that have set up production or trade bases in China.
KVB Kunlun International was founded in Auckland, New Zealand in 2002, with its Hong Kong company fully operational in 2005. In response to the growing demand for financial services among Chinese communities at home and abroad, and adhering to its philosophy of "New Chinese, New Finance," KVB Kunlun International has made full use of Hong Kong's multicultural and commercial environment, as well as its important status as an economic, financial, and shipping hub in the Asia-Pacific region, committing itself to developing financial products and financial technology of leading international standards and continuously meeting the demand of the global Chinese market for modern financial services and technology. While expressing its gratitude for the recognition and appreciation of the Trade Association and the judging panel, KVB Kunlun International is also determined to keep innovating and moving forward.
