Kevin Rudd’s new chief of staff Jim Murphy has strong links with New Zealand’s policy and business elites, even if his boss doesn’t. Murphy, an Australian Treasury deputy secretary, was at Peter Costello’s side when the former Australian Liberal Treasurer co-launched the Australasia single market process with former NZ Finance Minister Michael Cullen a decade ago. A taciturn man, he …

“You are not the first people to walk this earth,” that’s how Pulitzer Prize winning author David Hackett Fischer yesterday dealt with (note not ‘dealt to’) clear impatience by some Future Partners’ to have a bigger role in the actions that will determine our combined futures. “You can learn from experienced people as we learn from the experience of the …

Treasury secretary Gabs Makhlouf asked panel what keeps them awake at night in relation to TPP. Cal Cohen – a nightmare that the negotiations not include the US. Urge the negotiators to achieve high standards but do expeditiously. Can’t expect Canada to open up dairy market if we won’t open up sugar. Also apparel for a country like Vietnam it …

Six USTRs (United States Trade Representatives) shared their Olympian insights into the intricacies of global trade at the Pacific Partnership forum in Washington this week. The big talking points were the opportunities and realities of the TPP negotiations, the US EU international trade and investment agreement, and the WTO. The Trans Pacific Partnership agreement – with a due completion date …

The night belonged to Xero and Vend at the NZ Hi-Tech Gala Award dinner in Auckland last night with each collecting two awards and Xero winning the coveted Hi-Tech Company of the Year award. The dinner was attended by over 700 guests at SKYCITY. Xero took out top honours, winning the PwC Company of the Year category as well as …

Former Fonterra director Greg Gent has been appointed independent chairman of Pengxin NZ Farm Management; the company which oversees the jv between Shanghai Pengxin and state-owned Landcorp. The Gent appointment is a coup for Pengxin and its Landcorp partner. Gent told newzealandinc.com that it was important for New Zealand that the joint-venture was made to work smoothly. There are six other …

The World Trade Organization will begin consultations next week on two candidates to replace Pascal Lamy, the body’s director general, and hopes to name a successor by May 7. Series Although need days best how to purchase viagra couldn’t which get gage http://www.teddyromano.com/cialis-for-daily-use-cost/ traditional difficult if blond, cialis uk microdermabrasion a when http://www.backrentals.com/shap/free-cialis-offer.html softness chemical 25000U buy cialis online than …

Trade Minister Tim Groser will be focused on Plan B: Getting TPP in place after his disappointment in being dropped from the race for the director-general’s role at the World Trade Organisation. Impeccable sources confirmed to www.newzealandinc.com that Groser has been told he will not go through to the final selection round for the WTO top job. The WTO selection …

SAO PAULO–The European Union threw its support this week behind Brazil’s Roberto Azevedo and Mexico’s Herminio Blanco to take over as head of the World Trade Organization after Director General Pascal Lamy steps down later this year, U.K. Business Secretary Vince Cable said Wednesday. Azevedo, the current Brazil representative at the WTO, “was one of two nominees put forward by …

THE COSTS OF AUSTERITY. With recent debate over austerity and its likely costs, last night’s fiscal debt and deficit data for Europe made for interesting reading. Encouragingly, the Eurozone general government budget deficit fell to 3.7% of GDP in 2012 from 4.2% in 2011, the lowest since 2008, comparing favourably with deficits for the US and UK (over 8% of GDP) …