Published in the National Business Review of 16 November 2007

The government's showcase programme, Export Year 07 winds up with a breakfast in Auckland this morning where a new 'platform' document on future government business partnerships for exporting will be launched.

The export year programme has $6m of government funding (plus private sector spending) but it is not subject to outcome measures. Officials and business leaders are saying it was a success with improved government business relations one of the main gains.

"We are having a better conversation with NZTE now than we were at the start of the year," Business New Zealand Chief Executive Phil O'Reilly, a member of the Reference Group formed to advise on the Export Year programme said this week.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Deputy Secretary Derek Leask said officials were "reasonably pleased" with what had happened.

Achieving a specific boost in the value of exports had been rejected as a goal because it was unachievable in one year, although the programme had set up a range of activity based KPIs to measure its impact.

The platform document records "the common understandings" between government and business for further export activities over the next three to five years.

It addresses issues of exporting and global competitiveness and is "strategic and aspirational," the pair said.

The common understandings relate to: awareness and aspirations of businesses; education for exporters; recognition that successful exporters are world leaders in their sector; strengthening the connections between New Zealand and global businesses and building the capability within businesses to take on the challenge of exporting.

Many of the barriers to exporting were psychological. A 2006 study by Andrew Fletcher Consulting for NZTE found that "if two companies are identical in terms of products, resources and stage of development, the one with a confident, decisive risk-taker at the helm is more likely to become an exporter."

Asked about tangible changes as a result of Export Year activity, Mr O'Reilly cited the curriculum material on exporting now being placed in schools and the increased assistance to exporters from the Market Development Assistance Scheme.

This was allocated $33.75 million for the year and a further $88 million over the next four years.

NZTE's Director of Export Year 07, Marta Mager, said 3 300 people had attended export year breakfasts, 550 companies had gone to export training courses and more than 60 sessions had been held for chief executives.