The Global Connections conference in Christchurch recently provided some excellent speakers, information and networking.  One attendee told me he had 4 key take-outs, which far exceeded his expectations of what you usually get at a conference. 

As promised, I've written up a report on my key take-outs. See below to check what more you can do to ensure your global success.

Catherine Beard
027 463 3212 or cbeard@exportnz.org.nz

In this month's trade update, the big news is the resumption of FTA negotiations with Korea after a two year hiatus. This could be worth more than double the value of the recently signed Taiwan agreement. I also look at the progress of the Taiwan agreement and look forward to the TPP meeting coming up in Bali. More...

C Beard

Congratulations to all involved in this fantastic conference. As attendees' feedback confimred, there were many valuable take-outs. The ones that stand out in my mind are:

• People are important, relationships are important, telling stories that inspire and resonate is important
• Focus on a niche – that's where opportunities lie
• Collaborate and find good partnerships
• Customer first – find the unmet need
• Innovate/innovate/innovate
• Social media matters
• What is your brand ethos?
• What is your unique market space – how do you differentiate?

Read more in my full report here...

C Beard

In the last Exporter we reported on the fantastic news of the economic cooperation agreement New Zealand has signed with Taiwan (ANZTEC).  As the agreement is set to increase New Zealand’s GDP by over $600 million, we thought it would be helpful to have some expert advice on doing business in Taiwan to help Kiwi businesses make the most of the opportunities. More...

BusinessNZ has signed a letter on behalf of all of its sub-brands, including ExportNZ, urging the WTO Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation to conclude a Trade Facilitation Agreement this year.  You can read the letter here.

Nominations for the 2014 World Class New Zealand Awards are now open. Nominees are evaluated against four main criteria:

• Is demonstrably world-leading in her/his field of achievement
• Acts as a role model on the world stage
• Promotes New Zealand internationally and builds global connections with and for New Zealand
• Fosters New Zealand innovation and entrepreneurship.

Who do you know who matches these criteria? Nominations close on September 30, 2013. More...

As the GlaxoSmithKline situation has exposed the issue of corruption in China, David Mahon of Mahon China Investment Management has put out a special edition of his China business report, China Watch.

"We have in this issue attempted to address corruption in China and the relationship that foreign companies have with it. We are always grateful for any feedback," says David, who has offered a free half-hour consultation for any of our readers interested in following up on the issue.

If you have any queries about corruption or any other business matter related to China, you can email Catherine Beard at cbeard@exportnz.org.nz.

New Zealabnd Trade and Enterprise has started recruiting for its next Regional Director for Greater China. This is NZTE’s most senior role in the region and is a high profile and demanding position which will put you at the forefront of the New Zealand/China critical and growing economic relationship. If you know anyone you think would make a good candidate, you can find out more details here. 

I am sure there is not an exporter in New Zealand in the food and beverage sector that has not been worried about the flow on effects of the Fonterra whey product botulism scare, particularly those in the dairy and infant formula sectors. As to whether the event could have been handled better, these facts will come out in due course with a number of investigations underway. 

While everyone would prefer that these sorts of situations never arise, I am of the school of thought that as L V Martin used to say, “It is the putting right that counts”.  In this case a big part of the “putting right” is to gain back the confidence of customers that this sort of thing will not happen again, because our systems and processes are so good that anything that is not fit for consumption does not make it out the factory door and into supply chains, particularly those where babies are concerned.

Out of crisis also comes opportunity.  Our opportunity now is to ensure that all our food and beverage products are beyond reproach and live up to the claims we make for them. If we want to command premium prices for premium product, it has to be of the highest quality and the safest.  This is a very high profile lesson that all our food and beverage exporters need to take the learnings from, because if some of us slip up, we all slip up when it comes to the New Zealand reputation for healthy and safe food.

C Beard

The New Zealand Innovators Awards celebrate, recognise and profile great kiwi innovations, inventors and organisations that have invested in developing new products, services and ventures as well as improving the performance of their people & teams.

Who or what do you believe exemplifies New Zealand Innovation at its best.? It's time to let them shine, inspire other companies, and be in to win: one of 14 crystal trophies, $5,000 worth of IP advice, and a heap of media coverage, TV, radio and magazine (including TVNZ's Seven Sharp, Idealog magazine and NZ Marketing magazine).

Nominating a business, project or team for the New Zealand Innovators Awards is easy. More...

The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) is inviting interested, eligible organisations to register their interest in delivering industry training through a new direct funding scheme. The new scheme will allow employers to access the Industry Training Fund directly from 2014. More...

Appetite for Change is the third panel discussion in the Technology Challenging Society series. The free public panel discussion will look at food – how we grow it, produce it, cook it and eat it – and the way it's influenced and changing due to technology and consumer demand. The panel includes experts and speakers representing consumers, chefs, technology specialists and agriculture. More...

If you are a company looking to do business in China and need a member of staff who understands the language and culture, Daniel Eggink is looking for an opportunity to work with you. More...

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 - from "All about India" to training about documents used in export.

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