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Message from the executive director

What a month it's been! We're just getting over the shock US election result and figuring out what this means for New Zealand exporters as Trump selects him team and makes announcements about his campaign promises.

Trump has released a video on the Presidential Transition, outlining some of his policy plans for the first 100 days. Unfortunatley for New Zealand, this includes following through with his promise to withdraw from TPP on day one. More on this below.

Catherine Beard

027 463 3212 or cbeard@exportnz.org.nz

Trade Update

Is TPP Dead?

The announcement by President-elect Trump that he will on day one issue an Executive Order withdrawing from TPP poses an enormous challenge for the New Zealand trade policy establishment.  Achieving FTA outcomes with Japan and the US has been a major strategic goal for New Zealand for many years.  Australia has FTA links with both countries.  We did not.  TPP was the solution to the problem.

Alas this announcement puts a FTA link with the US on hold for quite some time.  And it threatens such a link with Japan.

Plan A was to support President Obama in his efforts to pass TPP during the "lame duck" period.  This was predicated on a combination of factors including the election of Hillary Clinton as the next President.  It assumed that the Republicans in the Senate and House would be wanting to re-establish the Party's reputation as the Party of free trade.  And it assumed that the President elect would send signals that she would be comfortable seeing TPP removed from the political agenda before her Presidency began.

Plan A went out the window when Trump was elected and when the Republicans achieved a majority in both Chambers.  Why would the Republican Senators and Congresspeople want to declare war on the new President even before he took office?

So what was Plan B? More...

Keep more of your profits when selling overseas this Christmas

If you're worried about foreign exchange rates eating into your profit margins, NZForex for Online Sellers could help. Banks, marketplaces such as Amazon and ebay, and other payment providers take a hefty cut (up to 4%) when converting currencies. However, an NZForex Online Seller account offers better-than-bank exchange rates and allows you to expand to new markets with a phone call. It also has risk management tools to keep your cash flow predictable. You can sign up for an account here or call +64 9 886 0245.

Taiwan – a land of opportunities

Take advantage of the economic cooperation agreement with Taiwan. 

Any tariffs have been slashed and will be zero very soon. 

Check out the opportunities on this very helpful website to find the connections you need to do business. More...  

How small to medium size companies internationalise – new research findings

If you're a company that's not great at setting goal based planning and you don’t have a Board of Directors – fear not, you may be doing things the right way after all!

This is a fascinating interview of Professor Sylvie Chetty at Otago University who has been interviewing small to medium size companies on how they are internationalising. 

Her research questions the traditional goal based planning in a fast changing business environment and she contends there is a better way.  Also - Boards can be handbrakes on innovation if you're not careful.

She makes the point that “your network is your net worth”.  This is exactly what ExportNZ offers its members.  Networking with other businesses across a range of sectors is very important - you will learn much more from businesses outside your sector than in your sector.

You can hear the interview here and we will update you on the research as they release more information.

Doing business in South East Asia?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) would like to hear from New Zealand businesses with an interest in South East Asia.

In 2017, the Governments of New Zealand, Australia and the ten countries that make up the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) will launch a comprehensive review of the free trade agreement which covers the region. The ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA (AANZFTA) has been in force for six years and the Government would like to hear whether the agreement is working for businesses and what could be done to maximise its benefits for exporters.

New Zealand may have the opportunity to update, improve or expand the scope of the agreement if needed. More information about submitting can be found on the MFAT website here. Submissions close 2 December 2016.

CES 2017 in Las Vegas

The International CES (Consumer Electronics Show®) is the world's gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. The next one is in Las Vegas on 5-8 January 2017.

There is some support available from the US Embassy - contact Dhiraj Mani at Dhiraj.Mani@trade.gov, +64 (9) 3032724 x 2867 or +64 (21) 2235406.
More...

Calling all food & beverage exporters

We have set up a meeting with the market access team at MPI on the 9th December, 1.00-4.30pm at EMA in Auckland (159 Khyber Pass Road – parking building on-site).

Market Access issues are constantly changing and this is a chance to meet the market access team, ask your market access questions and get up to speed.

For more details or to RSVP please email Rebecca Gaunt rgaunt@businessnz.org.nz

How to plan in a world of uncertainty - survey

How can you plan when there is so much uncertainty?  This question is addressed in a University of Otago, research project to study how senior managers make decisions about which foreign markets to enter and how they conduct business there.

Filling in this quetionnaire should help stimulate your thinking about how you select and enter overseas markets - you'll also have acces to its findings. These will also provide valuable insights for policy makers, practitioners and academics about international business decision-making and opportunities. 

Please click here to take the questionnaire (about 20 mins).

Maximising export returns

This is the final research update on Maximising Export Returns for New Zealand’s Biological Industries from the AERU research programme at Lincoln University.

If you're a food and beverage exporter check out the results of this research to help inform your strategy. It helps show how customers in Japan, UK, China, India and Indonesia view New Zealand food and beverage products and what attributes matter to them the most. More...

Due Diligence in China & other Foreign Markets De-Risking your choice of partner

One of the most important choices a company has to make when entering a foreign market is who to partner with. Whether the partnership is formal – such as acquisition or joint venture – or informal – such as an agent, distributor or manufacture, companies need to assess the suitability of a partner’s experience, connections, track record and reputation.

Here is some useful information from Control Risks, an independent, global risk consultancy. Control Risks recommends undertaking due diligence on partners before entering relationships, but what do they mean by due diligence? More...

What's happening around the country

There are some great opportunities for improving your business through learnings at seminars, workshops and events. To see what's coming up, go to the ExportNZ home page and scroll down to see what's happening around the country.

ExportNZ
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