I do hope all our exporter readers are faring better now that we are out of such a restricted trading environment. Food and beverage exporters have done better since they were able to trade through that time as “essential services”, but it has definitely been very tough for our non-food manufacturers.

According to Stats from the MFAT reports below, in April exports to all countries were down 2.6 percent to $5.3 billion. Dairy and meat exports were up 25.8 percent and 0.8 percent respectively, while seafood and forestry exports fell 30.9 percent and 68.7 percent respectively. We are hearing good reports of optimism and resilience from our regional offices as to how their exporter members are feeling, with lots of agility and innovative thinking going on. Stay positive, the NZ economy needs you to do well like never before!

BusinessNZ has been working with our network partners at EMA and the Manufacturers Network to provide some guidance for safe work practices at alert level 3. We know these have been trying times and we are sure you are all keen to get back to work. Stay safe, and we hope this next phase wont last for too long before we can go to the next level of economic activity.

Greetings - in this edition, we have some information on what level 3 could look like, and highlight some considerations that businesses should take to ensure they are able to operate safely. We have also included some guidance from the Meat Industry Association around the guidelines they have created to ensure a safe working enviroment.

Today Minister of Finance, Hon Grant Roberston, gave an update to members and provided greater detail on the Government’s plan to respond to COVID19 - from the first wave of the immediate response, to the second wave of kickstarting the economy and the third wave where the Government will look to reset and rebuild.

In this edition we have some information on standards required for the various level of face mask and hand sanitiser equipment and an indication from Government as to the quantities they would be wanting to source. If you fit into this category of manufacturing, please let me know as per the message below.

In these challenging times, we are aiming to send you information that is most useful, and important things you need to know. Good luck and stay strong. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any feedback or questions you would like us to pass on to Government.

Finance Minister Grant Robertson today outlined a $12.1 billion package to support New Zealanders and their jobs from the global impact of COVID-19. We are interested in your feedback on how your business is managing, and if this package is likely to help?

Corona Virus is understandably on a lot of exporters and manufacturers minds as they scramble to cope with the disruptions to global supply chains and slower movement of goods and people both in and out of China – see below for an update. We are currently touring through all our 8 regional ExportNZ offices, talking to exporters about their challenges and opportunities and taking along Government Officials that can hopefully help. It has been good to catch up with a lot of exporters and hear about your issues, which we will continue to advocate on once the road show is over.

Where did 2019 go? It was an action packed year on the trade front, with plenty of international drama that so far has mainly resulted in upside for NZ exporters (unless you were in steel or aluminium). That said, uncertainty is not a business persons friend and there is plenty of that still around, including with BREXIT. It is great to see the Export Credit Office has supported so many export sales, check them out below to see if they could help you.

In this edition, check out our latest trade update and if you are interested in doing business in India – there are some good opportunities coming your way. It is great to see pet food exporter Ziwi doing so well and I took that photo of their product at a pet store in Kashiwa, Japan recently. They were very prominently displayed. Great to see. If you are interested in Taiwan, get along to the conference in Wellington