I've just got back from the Prime Minister led Trade Mission to China which took in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing.  The New Zealand delegation promoted tourism, education and business. It included a one day Inaugural NZ China Partnership Forum - a mix of NZ delegation members and Chinese business and cultural leaders, discussing topics such as building on the NZ-China FTA in the next 5 years.  See my full report below.

Go Global 2013 is just around the corner now. We've secured a fantastic line up of exporting stars to share their learnings and experiences with you - check out the programme here.

I look forward to seeing you at SKYCITY Convention Centre on 23 May. Register here.

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

Japan has now been accepted into the TPP negotiations, and I discuss questions around what impact this could have. We recommend exporters make submissions to MFAT welcoming this development and highlighting any barriers that Japan maintains against your products or services.  This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to have these barriers negotiated away.

I also look at the race for the WTO Director-Generalship, Trade Minister Tim Groser's participation in it, and what happens next. More...

During the PM led trade mission to China, the ambitious goal was set to double two-way trade between NZ and China to $20billion by 2015. There were also predictions that China would be New Zealand’s number one export market within the next 3 years.

On our return from China, Statistics New Zealand announced that the first quarter trade statistics for 2013 showed that China has surged to our number one trading partner already.

What a fantastic opportunity New Zealand has right now. We have developed good relationships at both the political and the commercial level, and having a free trade agreement with China has opened that window of opportunity ahead of other countries – for the present at least.

Here are my key take outs from the mission...

The June series of the China Business Training workshops with NZTE are scheduled to take place in Wellington on the following days:

Module	Day
1. China Readiness	Tue 4 June
2. Market Entry Strategy	Tue 4 June
3. Operations 1	Wed 5 June
4. Operations 2	Wed 5 June
5. Marketing/Branding/Media	Thu 6 June
6. Entry Mode	Thu 6 June
7. Human Resources	Fri 7 June
8. Governance	Fri 7 June

Prime Minister John Key has opened the 2013 Prime Minister’s Business Scholarships and is calling for ambitious executives looking to expand their international expertise.
The scholarships are designed to build business capability and develop skills, particularly in management and international business leadership.

2011 recipient Matt Ensor highlights the relevance of these courses to participants and their firms  “These scholarships represent real value for money as an investment to grow New Zealand companies' export revenues.”

This is a golden opportunity and I urge you to think about anyone in your business who could benefit, and enter them! Applications close on 27th May 2013. Apply here...

Take stock of your sustainable business activity!

The 2013 Sustainable 60 New Zealand Business Awards are now open. The Awards are an opportunity to:

• get your organisation's sustainability efforts recognised
• gain valuable performance feedback from a high-calibre judging panel
• be part of the celebration of sustainable business excellence.

We spoke to last year's winners about what participating in the S60 has meant to them:

• Sarah Holden from Westpac
• Bevan Broughton from La Nuova Apparelmaster

Find out how to enter here. Get in quick – entries close 21 June.

Last month we brought you insights on the strategic export opportunities to be found via Malta, shared with us by the Consulate General of Malta for NSW.

Here is a case study on Nimbus Lighting Group, which has made significant gains by establishing a manufacturing, assembly and distribution facility in Malta to service continental Europe, the UK and Ireland, the Middle East and North Africa. Nimbus now has access to a sophisticated lighting market worth in excess of US$16 billion per annum. More...

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