Greetings Exporters. 

It has been my privilege to meet with you, hear your stories, and represent you to Government and in the media for the last 11 years. I have enjoyed it immensely and could not have worked on behalf of a more worthy business community. What you do is difficult, challenging, fun (hopefully), and you have to be the best of the best to compete with much bigger companies out there on the world stage. 

I have a new role at BusinessNZ as the new Director of Advocacy.  As such I will be across a broader range of issues with the policy team – still working on your behalf, just with a broader mandate. Josh Tan has joined us as a senior policy advisor and he will be your main point of contact from now on. I will still be here in the background and will always keep your interests at the forefront.

I want to also acknowledge the great team of people we have at ExportNZ throughout our regional network and I am very proud of the work they also do on your behalf. I am sure I will continue to bump into many of you at future events around NZ, so keep up the good work. Also – great news about the dates for resuming travel!

All the best, Catherine Beard.

Kia ora!

My name is Josh Tan and I am very excited to finally introduce myself to you all as the new Senior Policy Advisor for ExportNZ and BusinessNZ.

Previously, I worked with the Wellington Chamber of Commerce and Business Central for four and a half years where I was Senior Policy and International Relations Advisor.

My first role at the Chamber was as an International Trade Officer (issuing export documentation) and then moved into a policy and advocacy role. During my time at the Chamber, I was also responsible for managing the Chamber’s relationships with the diplomatic corps, bilateral business councils, and Wellington City Council. For two and a half years I was the Executive Secretary for the New Zealand Taiwan Business Council.

The role of ExportNZ is vital, as an advocate, a communicator, and a networker for our members. Joining the organisation, I intend to return to my interest areas – export and trade - and to support the export community as best I can.

If you would like to get in touch, please don’t hesitate to email me: jtan@businessnz.org.nz or you can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuam-tan/].

Mā te wā,
Josh

It has been a busy month for trade policy officials and Ministers over the region and around the world.

New Zealand hosted the APEC Ministerial and Economic Leaders’ Meetings and achieved as much as could be hoped for given the virtual format.

APEC’s position will usefully flow through to the WTO Ministerial meeting at the end of the month.

The US is beginning to engage again on trade policy.  A managed trade deal has been completed with the EU over steel and aluminium and the US Trade Representative have been travelling in Asia.

Read more ->>

Government announces further industry vaccination mandates and sets out the process for non-mandated workforces

On Tuesday the Government made some key announcements for businesses. There’s a lot of detail - this and other updates can be viewed via the link below:

See more ->>

The Government recently approved an extension of the Exporter MIQ Allocation for 25 Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) spaces for January 2022 following the success of the Exporter MIQ Allocation Pilot (the Pilot), which enabled export-related travel for the months of November and December 2021. Under the extension, 25 places will be available in January 2022 and at least 25 places will be available in February 2022, though the final number is yet to be confirmed. It is expected that applications for February will open shortly.

Applications will need to be made by 29 November at 10am.

Some significant changes for this round are:

• Exporters can apply for two MIQ places instead of one
• One MIQ room can be shared if the nominated traveller is willing to isolate with another traveller
• The priority categories have been amended
• Travel into New Zealand by those that are already offshore is now within the scope of the allocation
• Exporters that apply for January places may also apply for February places when applications for February open

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) works to make it easier for New Zealand companies to do business overseas. Understanding the barriers businesses face when exporting (such as late payments, non-payments, product/services rejection) is critical. MFAT is inviting you to complete a survey on your experience to help us better advocate for exporter interests.

This survey takes about 2 minutes to complete. Please click the link here to begin the survey.

Your answers will be confidential unless you indicate otherwise and the results will not be reported in a way that will allow you or your business to be identified. The data will be held securely and will not be distributed to third parties outside of MFAT. By completing this survey you consent that your response will be used by MFAT for statistical and research purposes. Responses will be kept anonymous and you will not be individually identified in any reporting.

A new report from the Asia New Zealand Foundation has found strong appetite among South Island businesses to continue growing trade and investment links to Asia, even as Covid-19 constrains their ability to connect in person.  

The report – Te Waipounamu and Asia: South Island business connections with Asia now and in the future – also highlights the difficulties faced by businesses wanting to do more with Asia, but not always having the right skills or connections to make it happen. 

The Asia New Zealand Foundation Te Whītau Tūhono commissioned Christchurch-based research company, Research First, to survey South Island-headquartered businesses for the report. Research First spoke to 115 companies with existing links to Asia and 35 that were considering establishing links. 

Of those with existing links, 71 percent said they wanted to grow their business in Asia further. And 61 percent rated Asian business connections as being either “very important” or “important” to their companies.  Most South Island businesses with existing links to Asia had well-established connections.

“This report really drives home that Asia is at the heart of business success for many South Island companies,” says Alistair Crozier, director of the Foundation’s business programme and anager of its South Island office.  

"It also moves beyond some of the cliches and highlights how diverse the South Island’s business links to Asia really are. Although the primary sector and tourism are a big part of the picture, the report also surveyed businesses working in manufacturing, professional services, retail and construction.” 

The full report can be found on the Asia New Zealand Foundation website here. 

Congratulations to all our finalists – and good luck as we count down the days until the winners are announced on Thursday 25 November.

The Awards celebrate business success in Canterbury and recognise organisations and individuals that are shaping the future of the region.

Check in here to see who the Winners are! 

An FDI webinar is scheduled for December 2 at mid-day (New Zealand) time led by the California Governor’s Office of Business & Economic Development (GO-Biz). 

The GO-Biz international team work specifically with foreign companies. This GO-BIZ event which is co-hosted by the U.S. Commercial Service in Australia and New Zealand, will share customized information with growing businesses to help them plan a successful launch in California.

Companies are invited to register via this link:  https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/spotlight-on-california-tickets-201365799527

MFAT publish regular reports on topics of interest to the NZ export community, often in collaboration with other NZ Government agencies such as MPI, Education New Zealand, Customs, NZTE and MBIE.

To sign up for email alerts when new reports are published, please email exports@mfat.net

Latest reports

• Spain's plant-based food sector offers export opportunities, November 2021
• Trade with Indonesia grows despite Covid-19, November 2021
• Weekly Global Economic Round-up, 19 November 2021
• South Korea: Bilateral Trade Update, 16 November 2021
• Exporting to Europe: logistical challenges and how exporters can respond, November 2021

See more ->>