Kia ora tātou,

E hika ma, i roto i nga ahuatanga rereke o te Ao, me ki COVID19, kia kaha tatou ki awhi ana era a tatou koroua, Kuia noho ana i te kainga, me roto i nga hohipera, me nga rangatahi me nga mokopuna ra nei!  Ano, tenei te Wiki o Te Reo Maori, kia kaha tatou i te pupuriana to tatou nei Reo Rangangatira!

Next week is Te Wiki o te Māori and it is wonderful to see New Zealand businesses, organisations, schools and community groups acknowledging and celebrating our language in numerous different ways.

With the way Kiwis are flooding into Te Reo courses around the country (as well as Kiwis abroad learning via Zoom) we might be on track to achieving a goal of 1 million speakers of basic Te Reo by 2040.

While it is a strong year for Te Reo Māori, it is a tough one for most businesses in Aotearoa New Zealand – one in four jobs here results from international trade, and restrictions on trade (as well as border closures) have hit many hard.

Regional Hui on Trade

We are busy planning the next session in our popular series of Whakatū regional hui on trade. Our first was in February in Rotorua, and the second in August in Te Tairāwhiti.

These hui are a first where our whānau and leaders have a chance to talk face-to-face and chief-to-chief about international trade with Trade Negotiators, Ministers and other experts.

Our third Whakatū regional hui of 2020 will be held in Nelson in November. You can read more about the hui and register below. The final hui for the year is being planned for the Taitokerau, in Northland. 

Virtual trade mission - Taiwan

Next week, 56 companies from Taiwan are joining a virtual trade mission to Aotearoa and Australia. If you're looking to have one-on-one conversations with Taiwanese companies without having to jump on a plane, this will be an awesome event to join - details are below.

Ka kite anō au i a koutou,

Chris Karamea Insley
 

Our next Whakatū hui (and zui)

What will trade between Aotearoa and Europe, the USA, China and other parts of Asia look like in the wake of COVID-19?

One in four jobs in New Zealand is tied to international trade, which has had obvious impacts from this pandemic. 

Our next Whakatū regional hui will provide an important and timeline opportunity to kōrero with Government Ministers, international trade leaders and Whakatū Business Leaders about the issues and opportunities that lie ahead.

When: Tuesday 24 November, 2020
Where: Rutherford Hotel, 27 Nile St, Nelson 
Cost: This event is free

The hui will also be live-streamed on our Facebook page, so please make sure you’re following us if you’d like to jump into the virtual hui, or zui (Zoom hui).

Taiwan virtual trade mission

Despite restrictions on travel, trade missions are still going ahead – virtually!

Taiwan has organised a virtual trade mission of 56 Taiwan companies to Australia and New Zealand this coming Tuesday.

The companies participating cover four major industries; Metal and Machinery, Information and Electronic, Chemistry and Food and Textiles.

This will be a great opportunity for New Zealand companies to join one-on-one online trade meetings and source high quality products and services without travelling to Taiwan.

If you’re interested in joining, please contact the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office tecowec@taipei.org.nz.

When: Tuesday, September 15, from 1.30pm – 8pm (NZST)

Study in the UK: Chevening Scholarships now open

The UK government’s global scholarship programme, The Chevening Scholarship, is now taking applications for the 2021/2022 year. 

Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and partner organisations, these Scholarships offer an incredible opportunity to undertake a one-year’s Master’s degree at any of the UK’s leading universities. 

The scholarships are awarded to outstanding emerging leaders across a wide range of fields including; politics, government, business, the media, environment, civil society, religion and academia.

This is the 37th year of the scholarship and 1,500 scholars from more than 160 countries are expected to be supported, joining a global alumni of 50,000 scholarship recipients.

Applications are now open and close on November 5.  

Sector update: Agricultural markets

The closure of so many restaurants, cafés and hotels around the world due to COVID-19 has had a noticeable impact on the global agricultural sector. For example, demand for flowers has plunged, causing a large proportion of production to be destroyed.

Then there are the restrictions on movement, which resulted in many countries struggling to a shortage of agriculture workers, and this is expected to impact the next production season.

You can read more about some of the sectors that are important to New Zealand – dairy, meat, wine, fruit and potatoes - in MFAT’s latest report.

Japan Update

Japan has experienced a second wave of COVID-19 in July and August, following a smaller first wave in April and May. Then, on Friday August 28, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced his intention to step down due to health reasons. The Tokyo stock market dropped in response due to concerns of political instability.

The Japanese economy is showing signs of recovery after contracting a massive 28% over the April – June quarter. Experts are expecting much-needed growth of around 10% in the July – September period.

You can read more about the Japanese market and how it has impacted New Zealand exports to the country in MFAT’s latest report.