NEW ZEALAND 'RINGS' UP MORE TRADE FILM'S SUCCESS HELPS ISLAND NATION RAISE ITS PROFILE IN DINING, TOURISM.Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer New Zealand New Zealand (zē`lənd), island country (2005 est. pop. 4,035,000), 104,454 sq mi (270,534 sq km), in the S Pacific Ocean, over 1,000 mi (1,600 km) SE of Australia. The capital is Wellington; the largest city and leading port is Auckland. has already landed on Hollywood's movie screens, now it wants to be on dinner plates, too. And that may be only the beginning. The nation has enjoyed a high-profile turn as the background for its native son Peter Jackson's ``Lord of the Rings'' trilogy and ``Whale Rider,'' both up for Oscars this Sunday. New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, the country's economic development office, wants to continue that visibility. Through an ambassador program, it's enlisted three local chefs to hype New Zealand food in addition to its ongoing film and tourism efforts. ``It's all profile raising,'' said Rachel Roper-Taulelei, NZTE's trade commissioner in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . ``We're a small country of four million people, but we punch above our weight in everything we do. We've got the world's biggest lamb trade, and Peter Jackson's made some of the greatest movies of all time, which certainly gets us in people's minds.'' Through the chef program, local gourmets Neal Fraser of Grace, Josie Le Balch of Josie and Govind Armstrong of Table 8 all traveled to the country in November to soak up local recipes and make supplier contacts. Now, each is offering New Zealand-themed dishes, ranging from venison venison (vĕn`ĭzən) [O.Fr.,=hunting], term formerly applied to the flesh of any wild beast or game hunted and used for food but now restricted to the flesh of members of the deer family. entrees to dessert. Grace is running a week-long five-course menu highlighting native ingredients, while Table 8 plans on offering more tasting menus, adding new wines and seafood dishes. After meeting with the suppliers, Armstrong has decided to keep experimenting with new avocado oils, sea salts and shellfish at his Melrose restaurant, adding new providers he hadn't worked with before. ``It was quite an eye-opener, I had no idea they were so on top of their game,'' he said. ``I was blown away ... I'll help them get it in here now.'' The nation has also stepped up lobbying efforts to the film and tourism industries, as well. This week, Film New Zealand, the country's movie locations office, took out a cover ad on the Hollywood Reporter showcasing scenes from ``Lord of the Rings,'' ``Whale Rider'' and ``The Last Samurai samurai (sä'm  rī`), knights of feudal Japan, retainers of the daimyo. This aristocratic warrior class arose during the 12th-century wars between the Taira and Minamoto clans and was .'' Though NZTE NZTE New Zealand Trade and Enterprise has also set up offices in New York New York, state, United StatesNew York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden and Chicago, Jack Kyser, chief economist The Chief Economist is a single position job class having primary responsibility for the development, coordination, and production of economic and financial analysis. It is distinguished from the other economist positions by the broader scope of responsibility encompassing the for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. said the local area represents an especially tempting market because of its studio connections. ``The idea is you go to the restaurants, they say they've got lamb from New Zealand, and it's very subtle product placement,'' Kyser said. ``Then you look to see if there's more things out there from New Zealand. ... They had 'Lord of the Rings,' but now what do they have? They've got to re-energize it.'' Brent Hopkins, (818) 713-3738 brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Film New Zealand, the country's movie location office, took out a cover ad on the Hollywood Reporter showcasing films. |
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