It really feels like winter now so I hope some of you are planning your overseas business travel to warmer climes! Trade war dramas and Brexit aside, there is plenty going on in terms of opportunties and you will see a few if you read on.  We are also in Export awards season, so hope to see some of you in Tauranga and Auckland soon.

Catherine Beard

027 463 3212 or cbeard@exportnz.org.nz

As this day dawns it seems that President Trump and President Xi Jinping have had a good phone chat and are due to meet at the G20 in Osaka. Meanwhile the chances of a no deal Brexit are increasing.

Against this backdrop New Zealand has been continuing to progress the trade negotiation agenda. Progress has been slow but the EU-New Zealand FTA process continues positively and there are signs that the Pacific Alliance process may be about to resume. Ministers and officials remain upbeat about the China FTA upgrade.  And negotiations are about to begin on upgrading the AANZFTA agreement with ASEAN.

More ->>

The New Zealand China Trade Association announced the winners of their HSBC NZCTA China Business Awards at a ceremony in Auckland earlier this month.  These are arguably New Zealand’s most important acknowledgement of the deepening trade and investment relationship between China and New Zealand.

The Supreme Award winner (overall winner from six categories) was the Fiordland Lobster Company. The company was also the winner of the NZCTA’s trade award category (the Trade & Enterprise award for trade between China and New Zealand).

Fiordland Rock Lobster began 30 years ago when 15 Fiordland fishermen formed a partnership with Mt Maunganui Seafoods, which was then pioneering live lobster exports to Japan. It has continued to lead innovation in seafood marketing and catch management.

The Fiordland Lobster Company is New Zealand’s largest exporter of live Fiordland Rock Lobster, a high quality, high value, cold water lobster.  

Other winners of NZCTA awards were:

• SkyCity Entertainment Group, which won the Auckland Airport Award for contribution to the growth of Chinese tourism in New Zealand.
• Oceania Dairy Limited, which won the Waste Management New Zealand award for investment between China and New Zealand
• Trademonster Limited, which won the Cathay Pacific award for best use of ecommerce in exporting to China.
• Auckland Mayor, the Honourable Phil Goff won the New Zealand China Council award for outstanding contribution to the New Zealand-China business relationship.
• Eat the Kiwi won the Hong Kong New Zealand Business Association award for success in Hong Kong by a New Zealand organisation.

The Pacific Exposition is designed to facilitate the Pacific countries to promote their economic potential, and is aimed to increase opportunities and develop networks for business communities, governments, and tourism authorities in the region. 

Find out how to get involved here.

Expo 2020 expects to attract 25 million visits to the world fair, to be held in Dubai from October next year, and New Zealand businesses will be able to capitalise on the opportunity through a business leveraging programme.

NZTE has announced its business programme, which is designed to help exporters already active in the region, or those who want to explore the opportunities.

During Expo 2020, which runs for six months, buyers, retailers, thought leaders, distributors and other potential partners will converge in an environment of unparalleled opportunity to accelerate business, not only in the United Arab Emirates but the Middle East and globally.

More ->>

Doing business in Japan? Download and use the latest film from our Inside Stories series at your next pitch or presentation. Featuring famous and everyday people, including rugby players, chefs, actors and innovators, who share their perspective and stories about what makes New Zealand amazing. It's available with English and Japanese subtitles, dual language subtitles and a one minute version. 

Watch and download now.

AgResearch is developing a method of giving New Zealand exports a “unique fingerprint” that scientifically proves their provenance and could be used to deter supply-chain fraud.  The technology is so accurate that it can differentiate New Zealand, English and Welsh lamb using a measurement that only takes a few seconds. It can also detect what feed – such as grain, grass or chicory - a carcass was reared on, an increasingly important trait driving consumer spending.

Dr Alastair Ross said the new rapid evaporative ionisation mass spectrometer (REIMS) machine being used at AgResearch’s Lincoln campus detects the “molecular phenotype” of a sample, a unique “fingerprint” made up of molecules resulting from the interaction of genes and the environment. This measurement, which previously took over an hour of lab work, can now be done in seconds on samples of meat, milk, plants and wine.

More ->>

China Chamber of Commerce NZ in partnership with NZTE are currently registering companies to participate in a multi-sector trade mission to Chengdu and Xi’an China 9-11 Sep 2019. It’s part of a bilateral strategy to help New Zealand companies take full advantage of the unprecedented opportunity offered by China New Zealand Year of Tourism 2019 to increase awareness in China during this special year. 

More ->>

Missed an issue of The Exporter? Click here to access all previous issues in our Newsletter Archive.