NZTE launches new digital platform

New Zealand exporters and investors look set to benefit from a new suite of digital products launched by New Zealand Trade and Industry.

NZTE's website now includes new information feeds, analysis and tools to assist this country’s six thousand export businesses, as well as a new “My NZTE” customer portal feature, allowing users to customise the site to their needs.

NZTE director of customer knowledge Megan Hurnard said the new site represents a leap forward for the organisation.

“During COVID, NZTE is playing a role keeping exporters informed of changes and developments around the world, on what’s happening to global trade and what government support packages are available”

She said MY NZTE is a new portal accessing market guides, research, and learning modules for new exporters on issues like raising capital, and it also includes a range of stories explaining the challenges involved in developing export markets, and how New Zealand companies overcame them.

Clare Wilson runs NZTE’s international team from Singapore, and says the organisation’s new digital tools for exporters are hugely important.

“New Zealand exporters can’t travel, borders and quarantine are making getting to market more and more difficult, and there has been an increased interest in what exactly is happening around the world.”

“We talk a lot to customers about the growing importance of digital commerce and digital enablement and the world has now changed. I can see these kinds of platforms becoming more and more important.”

NZTE chief executive Peter Chrisp points out the key distinctive feature of NZTE is the “boots on the ground” it can provide in overseas markets, with about half the organisation’s 700 staff based offshore, allowing it to deliver the right support to export companies – especially in these troubled times.

But Chrisp said a new emphasis on digital won’t take away from the work being done face-to-face by NZTE staff around the world.

NZTE chief executive Peter Chrisp

“I think the digital platform is a supplement to the human interface, it doesn’t replace it.”

“Over this pandemic we’ve had an enormous amount of feedback from our exporters, that our customer and invest managers really care about their customers and we’re not trying to substitute those human factors.“

“This digital platform gives us access to a huge amount of knowledge and resources, and curated insight into issues, and that just makes that human interface more powerful”.

Chrisp points out that there are a number of customers who actually don’t want a face-to-face experience with NZTE.

“They just want to go in, grab something specific, and come out again”.

He said the new digital platform is a huge moment for NZTE, and now it’s over to exporters and investors to utilise the new tools, and give feedback on what they like, and what they don’t.

-  Asia Media Centre