A delegation of more than 50 New Zealand business professionals were in Israel from May 29 to June 1 for the inaugural Innovation Mission from the South Pacific island nation to the Jewish state.

The group was led by Simon Moutter, CEO of Spark — New Zealand’s largest mobile operator — and included senior Kiwi executives from sectors including telecommunications, agriculture, government, education, and venture funds. Sir Peter Gluckman, the New Zealand Prime Minister’s chief science adviser, also took part.

The delegation met with Israeli venture capital firms including JVP and Trendlines, heard from legendary Israeli entrepreneurs such as Dov Moran and Jon Medved, spent a day at Beersheva’s CyberSpark cyber-security innovation center, and visited Start-Up Nation Central in Tel Aviv, which connects companies and countries to the people and technologies in Israel that can solve their most pressing challenges.

New Zealand and Israel have many similarities as relatively young, small economies with limited natural resources and a spirit of innovation. The mission was designed to serve as a launch pad for collaborations between the two countries.

The Trans-Tasman Business Circle, which organized the trip along with the Israel Trade Commission, previously has led several Australian business missions to Israel. Next November, the second annual Israel-Australia Investment Summit will take place in Sydney, Australia under the auspices of the Israel Trade Commission in Australia.

(via Israel21c)

[Photo: IsraeliPM / YouTube ]