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

In this newsletter we cover the latest intel on our international trade agreements, we look at the latest updates on Custom’s Secure Exports Scheme (SES) - see your customs check times fall from around an hour to just 17 seconds, and learn how Expo 2020 Dubai could benefit your business.

Our annual conference Go Global is only a couple of weeks away and I think we have one of the best speaker line-ups ever. Tickets are selling fast, so don’t miss out on this great learning and networking opportunity

In this newsletter we let you know how to escalate an urgent employment visa request, we cover the latest intel on our international trade agreements, and we remind you to fill in our annual ExportNZ survey so we can share your views with Government. If you are interested in opportunities in Mexico and Peru