National is promising to deliver New Zealand's boldest-ever trade push if it wins the election, creating "shiploads of jobs" and giving the economy a multi-billion dollar boost. Trade spokesman Todd McClay says a National-led government will work to unlock markets with 2.5 billion new consumers for the benefit of large and small exporters in every region. "This new trade access will create shiploads of jobs and be worth billions of dollars to our economy and businesses across the country," he said on Tuesday. Most of the initiatives Mr McClay is committing to following through have already been announced and some,…

Brexit and Ireland Britain's troubled relationship with the island next door is a problem again. Theresa May's government has urged the European Union to allow British businesses to continue to enjoy the benefits of the free trade of goods into Europe after Britain has left the EU. Brexit secretary David Davis said:"These papers will help give businesses and consumers certainty and confidence in the UK's status as an economic powerhouse after we have left the European Union". The Government is to publish more details of its negotiation plans for Brexit later this week. "We've published recently just in the last…

Kiwi companies are queueing up to do business with Vietnam and other similar sized Asian countries, a leading New Zealand tech businessman says. Mitchell, chair of NZTech, FinTechNZ and a New Zealand Trade & Enterprise (NZTE) beachheads advisor in technology business for the ASEAN region, has just returned from a major Kiwi business exploration trip to Vietnam. Pham has also been advising the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and the Asia New Zealand Foundation. He says Kiwi tech sector must be an active part of the New Zealand story, presence and engagement in South East Asia to gain…

 Wellington Drive announces exclusive agreement with Alaska Refrigeration for the sales and distribution of its SCS Connect system in Vietnam. Alaska Refrigeration www.alaska.vn is a refrigeration equipment manufacturer and distributor based in Vietnam, supplying a wide range of appliances for domestic and commercial applications. Wellington’s CEO, Greg Allen said; "The agreement with Alaska is another indication of the increasing importance of Wellington’s brand and its SCS solutions in the Asia Pacific market. As the profile of SCS has grown with large global soft drink and beverage brands we are seeing increasing opportunities in new countries across the broader food and…

Trade Minister Todd McClay says Thailand and New Zealand have agreed to market access improvements for our exporters and announced a new agricultural cooperation programme. “In Bangkok today we signed an agreement increasing the volume of New Zealand dairy products that can enter Thailand under a preferential tariff rate. For some products this will mean a preference increase of between 10 and 20 per cent,” Mr McClay says. “We also agreed to launch a new programme that will help Thailand to improve its domestic dairy production and processing.” “This is a positive step forward for our bilateral trade relationship.” “Thailand…

Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee has welcomed further engagement between New Zealand and the United Kingdom. “The establishment of a people-to-people dialogue has been announced during Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s visit to New Zealand,” Mr Brownlee says. “New Zealand and the United Kingdom enjoy a broad and enduring partnership. At its foundation are the connections between the people of our two countries. “The Foreign Secretary and I agreed that enhancing those connections will help support a stronger political and economic relationship between New Zealand and the United Kingdom. “The dialogue will provide a forum for discussing a wide range of issues…

Trade Minister Todd McClay will make the first official visit to Thailand by a New Zealand Minister since 2013 to engage with key ministers and business leaders on trade. “Thailand is now our eighth largest trading partner. Since the Thailand New Zealand Closer Economic Partnership came into force, total goods trade has increased almost 150 per cent to more than $3 billion in 2016,” Mr McClay says. “Many New Zealand companies have benefited from better access, but there is opportunity to further increase goods and services exports.” During the two day visit, Mr McClay will sign an agreement increasing the…

Defence Minister Mark Mitchell has held talks today with Japanese State Minister of Defence Kenji Wakamiya, who is conducting an official visit to New Zealand. “Japan is an increasingly important defence partner for New Zealand,” Mr Mitchell says. “We have a defence relationship underpinned by our common democratic values, and the fact we are both maritime nations vulnerable to natural disasters. “The New Zealand Government was immensely grateful for the support the Japan Self-Defense Forces provided us after the Kaikoura earthquake last year,” Mr Mitchell says. New Zealand and Japan are also strongly committed to maintaining regional peace and security.…

China's trillion-dollar 'Belt and Road Initiative' is still in its early stages, but one expert says New Zealand shouldn't take too long to work out how we can benefit from the project. Sam Sachdeva reports. Chinese investment is always a touchy subject in New Zealand politics - and that goes double in an election year. It's no surprise then that ears were pricked during Premier Le Keqiang's visit earlier this year by the signing of a memorandum of agreement between New Zealand and China which could lead to millions more dollars flowing in through a Chinese strategy to lead on…

Exclusive Mfat report lays out case for pavilion in 2020, writes Nicholas Jones in The New Zealand Herald 20 Jul 2017 Emirates’ sponsorship of America’s Cup winners Team New Zealand was cited as part of a case for participation in a Dubai expo that will cost taxpayers $53 million, documents show. Other factors cited for giving “serious consideration” to committing to Expo 2020 included growing defence and security links with the United Arab Emirates — which Dubai is part of — and the economic value of Emirates’ daily flights to New Zealand. An October 2016 scoping update from the Ministry…