WELLINGTON, Sept. 9 (Xinhuanet) -- New Zealand would spend up to 8.5 million NZ dollars (about 4.9 million US dollars) taking part in the 2005 World Expo in Japan, Prime Minister Helen Clark said Tuesday.

　　Clark made the announcement at a conference on national tourism which is being held in Queenstown on the South Island, according to New Zealand Press Association Tuesday.

　　Clark said the main focus of the expo in Aichi, Japan, would bethe environment and technology.

　　"We will use those themes to promote New Zealand Inc - the way government and the private sector are working together to build a dynamic new economy in an environmentally sustainable way," she said.

　　Japan was New Zealand's third largest trading partner, with therelationship worth almost 5 billion NZ dollars (about 2.9 billion US dollars) to the two countries.

　　According to Clark, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and Tourism New Zealand were the government agencies that would be involved in the Expo project. Private companies were being approached for support and some had already expressed interest in taking part.

　　About 110 countries had said they would participate in the Expo, including Australia, Canada, most members of the European Union, and many Asian countries.

　　The last World Expo New Zealand took part in was held in Seville, Spain, in 1992. Enditem