New York, New York

International trade professionals have a number of very helpful and information packed portals such as ELIS which they can tap into for information. As well as these portals, large public libraries may have business services which often provide useful information and assistance. A good example of a well-established service is the New York Public Library. It has a guide entitled: 'International Trade: a Resource Guide" which is downloadable from the site:

www.nypl.org/research/sibl/trade/tradeprint.html

It has a bias towards American sources but for a Southern Hemisphere exporter hoping to enter the North American market this could prove very helpful.

Maori Language Week|Te Wiki o te Reo Maori

Māori Language Week has been celebrated for over 30 years, so join in 2009.
The Māori Language Week theme for 2009 is "Te Reo i te Hapori - Māori Language in the Community."
Te Wiki o te Reo Māori 27 Hōngongoi - 2 Here-turi-kōkā 2009 Māori Language Week 27 July - 2 August 2009

The collage above is from the Korero Maori site Pakihi - For Businesses which has some really useful information for businesses:

* How to find a translator
* Checklist for assessing your business reo
* Ideas for using Te Reo Maori in your business
* Examples and case studies from businesses which use Te Reo.

The website is:
http://www.korero.maori.nz/forbusiness

In the ELIS catalogue we have begun to use Maori subject headings:
Umanga = business
Tauhokohoko = trade

These headings are from Ngā Ūpoko Tukutuku - the thesaurus used by the National Library of New Zealand.

Weightless Economy

Feather on the shore Wellington Harbour near Waitangi Park.

Photo by Marie-Louise Siddle 2009.

Prime Minister John Key delivered a speech on New Zealand's economic performance to a business audience in Wellington on Wednesday 15th July.
It outlined six main policy drivers for the Government -- regulatory reform, infrastructure investment, better public services, education and skills, innovation and a world-class tax system. John Key said the tradable sector of the economy, which includes agriculture, tourism, forestry and manufacturing, has effectively been in recession for five years.
There was no specific mention of assistance to, or ideas for the export sector. The sectors mentioned by John Key in his speech focus still on New Zealand’s traditional areas. What about the weightless economy? It would seem that the series of Discussion Papers on the New Zealand economy put out by the New Zealand Institute’s Director David Skilling have been shelved. In a presentation which he made in 2007 David Skilling says:
‘New Zealand is more likely to succeed in weightless goods and services: adding knowledge-based value to physical products, developing business models that locate production process offshore, as well as producing services that can be transported virtually.’ Creating the weightless economy: positioning New Zealand to compete in the global economy. Unpublished presentation.
David Skilling’s Discussion Paper series are available through the ELIS catalogue.

Beyond the Farm...

The Paul Callaghan Interviews are a series in which science communicator Professor Paul Callaghan talks with New Zealand entrepreneurs and scientists about the way forward for our economy and society. Two episodes in particular feature New Zealand exporters and exporting companies:

Episode 4: Paul talks to Michael Chick of Tait Electronics and Mike Daniell of Fisher and Paykel Healthcare

Episode 8: Paul talks to Neville Jordan of Endeavour Capital and Andrew Coy of Magritek.

Both can be viewed at: http://www.hotscience.co.nz/extrasciencevideos.php?videotypeid=3&hdrcode=4 and can be downloaded freely.

This series is accompanied by Paul Callaghan's book
Wool to weta: transforming New Zealand's culture & economy which is available from ELIS.

Engaging exporters

"CEOs call for collaboration among exporters
Chief Executive Officers from across New Zealand have called for greater cooperation among exporters, including the possible use of social networking websites.

This suggestion was one of the recommendations from participants in the CEO Forums held in seven locations across the country from March to May 2009.

The idea was put forward that Export New Zealand could identify the top 50 exporters in consultation with NZTE, and then provide online and physical environments for them to engage with each other in.

Providing social networking tools for employees at different levels within exporting companies was raised as a means of sharing market intelligence."

The above is an extract from a piece reporting a series of forums held throughout New Zealand for CEOs and published in Export News at:
http://www.nzte.govt.nz/features-commentary/In-Brief/Pages/CEOs-call-for-collaboration-among-exporters.aspx

At the New Zealand School of Export we think this blog could be used for exporters to engage. What do you think - we'd like to hear from employees in exporting companies.

Potatoes for export

http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/rural/2552428/Psyllid-damage-hits-potato-yield

This article highlights a potentially damaging disease which has hit some potato growers. 33% of New Zealand's potato crop is exported

http://www.potatoesnz.co.nz/ This website which 'represents the interests of New Zealand's seed, table, and process potato growers' is very informative and provides easily accessible statistics. Did you know that

* in March 2009 New Zealand potato growers exported 1.8 million kgs of potatoes to Fiji

* the value of New Zealand's potato exports in 2008 was more than NZ$83 million (FOB)

* Canterbury has the largest area of potato growing

* the 7th World Potato Congress was held in Canterbury in March 2009.