The Prime Minister ventures to New Zealand to hold talks with two major companies, inviting Skyline to invest in tourism while joining forces with T&G Global — owner of the Envy™ apple brand — to propel Thailand into an ASEAN hub and open the Thai fruit market to the world.
Today (20 August 2026) in New Zealand, Ms. Rachada Thanadirek, Spokesperson of the Prime Minister's Office, disclosed that during his official visit to New Zealand, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul — who also serves as Minister of Interior — met and held discussions with executives of leading New Zealand companies, namely Skyline Enterprises, a tourism and attractions business operator, and T&G Global, a world-class agricultural and fruit company and owner of the Envy™ brand. The meetings were arranged by the Board of Investment (BOI) with the aim of connecting business opportunities and driving concrete investment and cooperation between the two countries.
The Prime Minister's Office Spokesperson said that the Prime Minister used this visit to present Thailand's potential directly to the New Zealand business sector, emphasising that Thailand is not merely a large market but can serve as both an investment base, a production base, and a gateway connecting businesses to the ASEAN market and other regions of the world. The government therefore seeks to transform the strong relationship between Thailand and New Zealand into economic opportunities that benefit the people and business sectors of both countries.
Regarding the discussions with Skyline Enterprises, the Prime Minister invited the company to consider expanding its investment into Thailand, highlighting Thailand's strengths in the diversity of its tourist attractions, visitor numbers, and potential for developing new types of destinations and activities — particularly in the family tourism segment, which aligns with the company's area of expertise.
Skyline Enterprises executives expressed interest in business opportunities in Thailand, recognising the potential of the Thai market and its tourist attractions, as well as opportunities to tap into the family tourism segment. The Prime Minister accordingly tasked BOI to coordinate closely with the company in order to study feasibility and build toward investment in Thailand.
In the discussions with T&G Global, the company expressed interest in finding a distribution base to support its market expansion into various ASEAN countries and India. The Prime Minister proposed that the company consider Thailand as a distribution hub, noting that Thailand holds advantages in terms of geographic location and logistics systems, and is capable of connecting land and sea transport to neighbouring countries, ASEAN, and markets outside the region. Thailand's network of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) can furthermore support business expansion and access to overseas markets.
Beyond that, the Prime Minister invited T&G Global to view Thailand as an agricultural partner, not merely a distribution point. Thailand is one of the world's significant producers of agricultural goods and food, possessing diverse raw materials as well as agricultural knowledge and technology with strong potential, while New Zealand excels in product development, branding, and global marketing. Combining the strengths of both countries could add value to agricultural produce, create new products, and expand markets simultaneously.
The Prime Minister also proposed extending the cooperation to leverage the strength of the Envy™ brand and T&G Global's international market network to support market access for Thailand's quality fruits, particularly in the European region — a mutually beneficial arrangement whereby New Zealand can use Thailand as a gateway to the ASEAN and Indian markets, while Thai fruits gain the opportunity to use the New Zealand partner's network to reach new markets overseas.
"For this visit to New Zealand, the government wants bilateral relations to be translated into tangible economic opportunities. We are inviting investment into the country, but at the same time we must also open the door for Thai goods and entrepreneurs to reach global markets. Thailand has geographic location, agriculture, tourism, infrastructure, and an FTA network. If these strengths can be connected with capital, technology, and global business networks, the benefit to Thailand will go far beyond simple trade in goods," the Prime Minister's Office Spokesperson said.
In this regard, the Prime Minister has tasked BOI to continuously follow up on the discussions with both companies in order to convert private-sector interest into concrete investment projects and collaborations. This will help generate economic activity, expand opportunities for Thai entrepreneurs, and reinforce Thailand's role as a regional hub for business, investment, and market connectivity.
