The Minister was invited to visit Washington DC this week by US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. They met on Tuesday morning (US time), and discussed:
- US/NZ bilateral relations. The Secretary and the Minister traversed the warm, wide-ranging, and longstanding relationship between New Zealand and the United States - including on defence & security and trade & economic matters. They discussed the ongoing conversations led by our Trade Ministers on the issue of tariffs as well as the ongoing dialogue between our two governments on critical minerals cooperation.
- The conflict in the Middle East. Secretary Rubio outlined US progress towards ending the war. Minister Peters outlined the significant negative economic impacts on New Zealand, and our Pacific neighbours, arising from the war - and New Zealand’s desire to see dialogue and de-escalation. Given the impacts on the Indo-Pacific of Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Minister Peters and Secretary Rubio stressed the crucial importance countries around the world attach to international law as it applies to freedom of navigation. - The Pacific Islands region. The Minister outlined New Zealand’s aspiration as host of next year’s Pacific Islands Forum, invited Secretary Rubio to attend, and encouraged the United States to continue to play a fulsome role in the region in close cooperation with New Zealand and Australia. Secretary Rubio and Minister Peters discussed priority matters in the Pacific, including energy supply chain issues and transnational organised crime. - The Indo-Pacific. The Minister and the Secretary discussed the shared strategic interests of New Zealand and the United States in the Indo-Pacific region, as two Pacific democracies.
Source: https://x.com/NewZealandMFA
Investment strengthens PartsTrader’s open procurement platform across the collision repair ecosystem SAN DIEGO – April 1, 2026 – Enlyte, a leader in technology, networks and services for the property and casualty industry, announced today it has completed its acquisition of PartsTrader, a leading parts procurement marketplace for auto insurers and collision repairers. The acquisition unites two complementary businesses within Enlyte’s Auto Physical Damage portfolio. PartsTrader will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Enlyte and continue to operate as an independent entity alongside Mitchell’s Auto Physical Damage division. Both organizations will maintain their distinct identities while benefiting from the collective strength of the Enlyte portfolio. “Today Enlyte takes a major step in our ongoing commitment to provide the auto physical damage claims and collision repair industries with comprehensive, innovative solutions designed to improve outcomes,” said Alex Sun, CEO of Enlyte. “This acquisition represents a strategic investment, unlocking long-term value for our customers by helping them enhance efficiency, expand workflow enablement and enjoy customer-controlled data usage across ecosystems.” Based in Chicago and Wellington, New Zealand, PartsTrader provides an efficient, market-driven parts procurement platform allowing collision repair facilities, parts suppliers and insurance carriers to make more accurate decisions regarding part-type, price and availability. Under Enlyte, it will continue to maintain full connectivity with all information providers, estimating systems, suppliers and partners while also collaborating with Mitchell to deliver even greater customer impact. Mark Lindner will lead the PartsTrader team as Executive Vice President and General Manager, reporting to Sun. Steve Messenger will retire as PartsTrader CEO. “PartsTrader has been long committed to providing measurable outcomes for repairers, insurers and suppliers,” said Lindner. “We look forward to working with Enlyte in shaping the future of collision repair together.” Raymond James & Associates and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC served as financial advisors to Enlyte, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Quigg Partners served as legal counsel. The financial terms of the transaction are not being disclosed. About Enlyte Enlyte is a P&C industry leader providing claims technology innovations and connectivity solutions, specialty networks, case management, pharmacy benefit and disability management services. Serving over 2,000 entities, including a majority of Fortune 500 employers, Enlyte leverages its portfolio of solutions to simplify processes and improve outcomes for auto, workers’ compensation and disability claims. About Mitchell Mitchell International Inc. is a leader in the development of innovative auto physical damage technology solutions. Combining decades of experience with an open platform, proprietary data and intelligent, cloud-first applications, we help insurance carriers, collision repairers and vehicle manufacturers protect dreams and restore lives. Each day, more than 20,000 organizations turn to Mitchell for support efficiently managing claims and safely returning consumers to the road. For more information, follow Mitchell on Facebook or LinkedIn. About PartsTrader As the world’s leading parts procurement marketplace, PartsTrader brings together repair shops, parts suppliers, and insurance carriers on one efficient, market-driven platform. PartsTrader helps repair shops make more accurate decisions regarding part-type, price, and availability. Suppliers can quickly grow their market presence and instantly reach thousands of new shops while improving the way they serve their current customers. Insurance carriers gain transparency into the parts procurement process and access to valuable market data, allowing them to increase accuracy and efficiency on every claim. PartsTrader LLC, based in Chicago, is privately held.
Source: https://www.partstrader.com/
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Washington D.C. this week. “The current global context is the most challenging New Zealand has faced in the past 80 years,” Mr Peters says. “In times as complex as these, we highly value opportunities to meet face to face.” While in Washington, Mr Peters will meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio among others. “We intend to discuss our shared commitments to cooperate in the Pacific and Indo-Pacific, as well as significant international developments – particularly the conflict in the Middle East and its impacts on our region.” “These meetings will advance New Zealand’s diplomatic, security and economic interests and facilitate greater mutual understanding of our respective priorities.” Mr Peters leaves New Zealand later today (6 April) and returns on Friday (10 April).
Source: https://www.beehive.govt.nz/
The White House marked the first anniversary of its April 2, 2025, “Liberation Day” tariff announcements by introducing new Section 232 tariffs on patented pharmaceuticals and associated inputs—with exceptions for specific firms and countries—and changes to the Section 232 derivative tariffs on steel, aluminum, and copper that will raise costs for some firms but lower them for some.
Tariffs on Medicines: As outlined in an April 2 fact sheet and proclamation, the new Section 232 tariff will be set at 100% for patented pharmaceuticals and associated pharmaceutical ingredients, entering into effect “in 120 days for certain large companies, and 180 days for smaller companies.” However, a range of exceptions and qualifiers apply: No Duties for Dealmakers: The fact sheet notes that for “companies that enter into Most Favored Nation (MFN) pricing agreements with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and onshoring agreements with the Department of Commerce, a 0% tariff will apply through January 20, 2029.” The administration indicates it may waive tariffs for companies engaging in good faith negotiations toward these two classes of agreements. Companies that only enter into onshoring agreements will face a 20% tariff. Country Deals, Too: A reduced tariff rate of 15% will apply for products imported from the European Union, Japan, Korea, or Switzerland and Liechtenstein; a separate agreement reached this week with the UK appears to offer duty-free treatment. Exceptions Listed: Many medicines will be spared new tariffs, including generics, biosimilars, orphan drugs, nuclear medicines, plasma derived therapies, fertility treatments, cell and gene therapies, pharmaceuticals for animal health, and others. Emphasis on the Carveouts: Recognizing the risk that tariffs will drive up medicine costs for American consumers, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told the press: “It’s less what’s the tariff level and it’s more all of the actual deals we’ve been making with countries and companies to make sure that the supply chains are secure and we’re making them here in America.” Tariffs on Metals: As outlined in an April 2 fact sheet and proclamation, the existing 50% tariff on steel, aluminum, and copper will remain while changes are introduced in the treatment of derivatives—that is, manufactured goods that contain these metals (listed in Annex I of the proclamation). The move is expected to raise tariff costs for some firms and reduce them for others. Three Tiers: Going forward, the 50% rate will apply for derivatives that are entirely or almost entirely made of these three metals; a 25% rate will apply for derivatives where these metals represent more than 15% by weight; and no tariff will apply for products whose metals content is below that 15% weight threshold.
Rate Down, Bills Up? While the tariff on many derivatives will be reduced from 50% to 25%, it will now apply to the full value of the product rather than solely the metal content. While simplifying an onerous and ill-explained compliance task, many companies expect this change will raise their tariff bills. Industrial, Electrical Equipment: In what appears to be an expansion in scope, industrial equipment, robots, and electrical equipment will now pay a 15% tariff through 2027 (rising to 25% in 2028) “to accelerate the massive industrial base buildout currently underway across the United States,” according to the fact sheet. This marks a significant and potentially painful development for U.S. manufacturing and badly needed investments in U.S. electricity production. Inclusions Process Scrapped: Offering possible relief from future tariffs, the proclamation terminates the “inclusions process” for steel, aluminum, and copper derivatives, marking a win for the U.S. Chamber and its members, who have advocated for this change and others for months. While the proclamation authorizes USTR and Commerce to include additional derivatives on a rolling basis, pressure from industry and from foreign governments appears to have tamped down interest in continual expansion of the universe of tariffed goods. And Some Carveouts: As noted, the Section 232 metals tariffs no longer apply to products for which steel, aluminum, and copper constitute less than 15% of their value. This de minimis exception may represent relief for a fairly large range of products. In addition, an esoteric list of goods now excluded entirely from the Section 232 duties appears in Annex II, including milk and cream products, shampoo, helium, bakeware, and parts for cribs.
Sourece: www.uschamber.com
IEEPA Tariff Refund System Takes Shape (Updated)
Since the Supreme Court invalidated the tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) on February 20, the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) has been engaging on a weekly basis with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to expedite refunds. In early March, CBP shared its plans for an expedited and simplified tariff refund system over the past week. The U.S. Chamber welcomed the initial CBP proposal, and the agency indicated it will be able to launch the system within 45 days (by about April 20).
Big Numbers: More than 330,000 companies paid a total of approximately $166 billion in IEEPA duties that must be refunded. The system proposed by CBP will refund these duties to importers through CBP’s Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) system, which is well known to importers. CBP told the CIT on March 6 that it “is confident that it can develop and implement new ACE functionality that will streamline and consolidate refunds and interest payments on an importer basis, rather than issuing 53,173,939 separate entry-specific refunds with multiple payments going to the same importer.”
CAPE of Good Hope: In a declaration filed with CIT, CBP explained that it is developing the Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries (CAPE) system to refund duties imposed under IEEPA. This new ACE functionality will have four integrated components:
As of the end of March, most but not all elements have been constructed and are in testing.
Interest Where Due: U.S. law requires payment of interest, which is accrued from the date the importer of record deposits estimated duties until the date of liquidation or reliquidation, for the invalidated tariffs. The interest rate is 6% at present. CIT has noted that “interest is accumulating every day, with approximately $650 million accruing per month,” a fact that hopefully will incentivize expeditious refunds.
Refunds for All Entries: A large majority of IEEPA-tariffed entries have not been liquidated, and issuance of refunds for these should be relatively simple. CIT on March 27 broadened its IEEPA tariff refund order to include finally liquidated entries. On March 27, CIT’s Judge Richard Eaton said “[a]ny liquidated entries for which liquidation is final shall be reliquidated without regard to the IEEPA duties.” This expanded order removes an ambiguity in CBP’s plans that had persisted previously.
One Thing to Do Now: One essential and practical step importers should do now in anticipation of tariff refunds is sign up for Automated Clearinghouse (ACH) Refund, which reportedly only 10% or so of affected firms have done. CBP requires ACH enrollment to receive duty refunds electronically. After enrolling for ACH refunds, any refund you receive will automatically be deposited directly into your bank account. Companies may wish to consult with their customs broker or trade counsel.
Source: www.uschamber.com.
WASHINGTON – Today, the Office of the United States Trade Representative submitted the 2026 National Trade Estimate (NTE) to President Trump and Congress. The 2026 NTE details significant foreign trade barriers facing U.S. exports and outlines how the Trump Administration is addressing these non-reciprocal practices to ensure a playing field for American workers.
“President Trump continues to reverse decades of unfair trade practices by using tariffs and brokering deals to open markets abroad while supporting industries and sparking investment at home,” said Ambassador Greer. “This year’s report highlights how the commitments secured in the Agreements on Reciprocal Trade are eliminating long-standing trade barriers and unlocking new markets with hundreds of millions of consumers for U.S. exporters. The Trump Administration will continue to build on the momentum from the past year to address the unfair trade practices detailed in this report and advance the best interests of American workers and their families.”
NEW ZEALAND TRADE SUMMARY The U.S. goods trade deficit with New Zealand was $1.5 billion in 2025, a 31.9 percent increase ($357.7 million) over 2024. U.S. goods exports to New Zealand totaled $4.1 billion in 2025, down 8.5 percent ($383.1 million) from 2024. U.S. goods imports from New Zealand totaled $5.6 billion in 2025, down 0.5 percent ($25.4 million) from 2024. Total U.S. goods trade (exports plus imports) with New Zealand was an estimated $9.7 billion in 2025. New Zealand was the 54th largest U.S. goods export market in 2025. The U.S. services trade surplus with New Zealand was $1.0 billion in 2025, a 13.1 percent increase ($120 million) over 2024. U.S. services exports to New Zealand totaled $4.0 billion in 2025, up 8.0 percent ($298 million) from 2024. U.S. services imports from New Zealand totaled $3.0 billion in 2025, up 6.4 percent ($178 million) from 2024. Total U.S. services trade with New Zealand was an estimated $7.0 billion in 2025. New Zealand was the 37th largest U.S. services export market in 2024 (latest data available). TRADE AGREEMENTS The United States–New Zealand Trade and Investment Framework Agreement The United States and New Zealand signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) on October 2, 1992. The TIFA is the primary mechanism for discussions of trade and investment issues between the United States and New Zealand. IMPORT POLICIES Tariffs New Zealand’s average most-favored-nation ((MFN) applied tariff rate was 1.9 percent in 2024 (latest data available). New Zealand’s average MFN applied tariff rate was 1.4 percent for agricultural products and 2.0 percent for non-agricultural products in 2024 (latest data available). New Zealand has bound 100 percent of its tariff lines in the World Trade Organization (WTO), with an average WTO bound tariff rate of 9.5 percent. As of 2025, New Zealand applied a zero percent duty on an MFN basis on 65.6 percent of its tariff lines in agricultural goods and on 59.0 percent of its tariff lines in non-agricultural goods. Taxes Value Added Taxes New Zealand applies a standard goods services tax (GST) rate of 15 percent to most goods and services, including imports from the United States. The GST is based on domestic consumption; therefore, it is applied to domestic and imported goods and services that are consumed in New Zealand. New Zealand applies a GST of zero percent for goods and services that are exported from New Zealand. New Zealand also exempts or applies a zero percent GST to certain financial services, such as loans, paying of interest, bank fees, and financial intermediation services. Additionally, domestic and foreign businesses that have less than NZD $60,000 (approximately $35,294) in sales in New Zealand are not required to register for or charge GST.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROTECTION The United States continues to monitor developments to amend the Medicines Act 1981 and any developments regarding the Geographical Indications (Wine and Spirits) Registration Act 2006, particularly in light of the entry into force of the free trade agreement between the European Union and New Zealand in May 2024. The United States continues to work with New Zealand to address any intellectual property issues. SERVICES BARRIERS Audiovisual Services In February 2025, the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage published for public consultation proposed reforms to New Zealand’s media legislation. These reforms included a proposal to impose investment and discoverability requirements regarding local content on streaming platforms and TV broadcasters, among other proposals; the consultation period closed in March 2025. Any proposals that are accepted by the New Zealand Cabinet would require legislation to implement, and no such legislation has been introduced as of December 31, 2025. The United States continues to monitor this issue. Other Digitally-Enabled Services and Digital Products News Media Bargaining Code In 2023 New Zealand introduced the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill, aimed at regulating content remuneration between news publishers and digital platforms. The bill would require a digital platform to enter mandatory negotiations with New Zealand news publishers when the platform makes the publisher’s news content available and a “bargaining power imbalance” exists between the platform and the news media entity. In December 2024, the government announced the bill had been placed on hold to observe how Australia implemented similar legislation. The United States continues to monitor this issue to ensure that U.S. companies are not unfairly targeted.
OTHER MARKET-DISTORTING PRACTICES New Zealand does not impose sufficient measures against market-distorting practices in order to insulate the U.S. and New Zealand markets from these distortions and ensure a fair and secure trading relationship. New Zealand has not entered into an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade with the United States that includes commitments to address these distortions. New Zealand does not participate in the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity, which is dedicated to developing and implementing collective solutions to address global excess capacity and enhance market function in the steel sector. LABOR New Zealand does not have a ban on the importation of goods produced with forced or compulsory labor. Therefore, such goods can enter and compete in New Zealand’s market. This issue may artificially suppress costs, including labor costs, which may certain goods from and within New Zealand an unfair advantage. OTHER BARRIERS Pharmaceuticals The Pharmaceutical Management Agency (PHARMAC) determines which medicines to fund for use in community and public hospitals, negotiates prices with pharmaceutical companies, manages the national contracting of hospital medical devices, and sets subsidy levels and reimbursement criteria. Some U.S. stakeholders have expressed concern about aspects of PHARMAC’s regulatory process, including lack of transparency, timeliness, and predictability in the funding process and lengthy delays in reimbursing new products
Source: https://ustr.gov/
The text of the following statement was released by the Governments of the United States and New Zealand on the occasion of the second U.S.-New Zealand Space Dialogue.
Begin Text:
Pursuant to the desire of the Government of The United States of America and the Government of New Zealand, the countries held a bilateral Space Dialogue in Washington, D.C. on March 23 and on March 26 to strengthen bilateral space cooperation. The Space Dialogue demonstrates the robust and growing cooperation between the United States and New Zealand in outer space.
The U.S. delegation was led by Valda Vikmanis, Director of the Office of Space Affairs of the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, and by Eric Desautels, Director of the Office of Critical Domains for the Bureau of Emerging Threats. The New Zealand delegation was led by Andrew Johnson, Deputy Head of the New Zealand Space Agency. Chris Seed, New Zealand’s Ambassador to the United States, delivered opening remarks that underscored priorities of strengthening commercial space ties, enhancing space security cooperation, and advancing scientific collaboration. Both delegations included whole-of-government participation.
The participants welcomed the holding of the Dialogue during a period in which the United States and New Zealand share a close cooperation on space which has had mutual benefits for both countries. In October 2024, New Zealand became the third most frequent launcher of orbital rockets, with U.S. headquartered and New Zealand founded company Rocket Lab propelling New Zealand to these new heights.
A significant focus of the Dialogue was the evolving role of the commercial space sector in supporting both economic growth and shared security interests. Discussions covered the changing role of government in enabling commercial activity and the expanding range of applications, with both sides expressing their intent to continue cooperation on spaceflight safety, launch, payloads, science and innovation, and associated technology security measures. Both sides also discussed opportunities for further cooperation to address space-related threats to shared security interests, including military space cooperation and managing the risks to ground-based space infrastructure.
The delegations recognized the potential for expanded cooperation on policy and regulatory interoperability related to commercial space, including space situational awareness, launch and reentry, and commercial remote sensing. They decided to work closely together to address regulatory constraints that hinder effective cooperation, commercial engagement, and mutual benefits.
Participants welcomed the open and productive nature of the Dialogue, which included discussion on space cooperation grounded in the principles of the Artemis Accords, to which New Zealand was an early signatory. Both sides emphasized the importance of promoting peaceful and transparent behavior in outer space.
Participants acknowledged New Zealand’s geographic advantages have enabled frequent and responsive launches for U.S. industry and government agencies, adding strategic resilience to launch capacity. New Zealand’s location has enabled hosting of ground-based space infrastructure to enhance both space situational awareness and communications with spacecraft. The United States noted New Zealand’s recently passed, world‑first legislation on the operation of ground-based space infrastructure, which strengthens its ability to protect New Zealand’s national interests and values.
New Zealand’s growing focus on space security has opened new avenues for cooperation, strengthening the United States and New Zealand partnership and advancing practical efforts to promote stability, resilience, and the responsible use of space.
New Zealand’s Space Scholarships program, where New Zealand funds post graduate students to complete a three-month internship at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, where they contribute to cutting-edge space technology projects, was acknowledged as a way to create enduring space connections between New Zealand and the United States.
Participants also welcomed the announcement of the first round of joint research projects between New Zealand research institutes and NASA centers, focusing on Earth observation. These projects lay the foundation for future collaborations in other research areas, including potential contributions to the Artemis program following the March 24-25 Ignition events and announcements at NASA headquarters.
Both countries resolved to continue working together in these areas and to explore other opportunities for strengthening bilateral cooperation, including facilitating bilateral commercial connections.
Source: https://nz.usembassy.gov/
MARS Bioimaging Extremity Scanner System is designed for premium musculoskeletal imaging in the community Advanced photon-counting CT technology delivers high-resolution 3D X-ray images with clear material differentiation MARS Bioimaging, a New Zealand–headquartered medical device company, has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for its portable photon-counting CT scanner for upper extremity imaging. Designed for use in community and point-of-care settings, the MARS Bioimaging Extremity Scanner System delivers premium, high-resolution 3D X-ray images that visualise soft tissue, bone, blood vessels and metallic implants with clear material differentiation. Chris Stoelhorst, Chairman of MARS Bioimaging, said: “With FDA clearance, we can now scale clinical adoption of our scanners in the United States, the world’s largest CT market. This milestone supports our mission to enhance health economics and equity by expanding access to premium photon-counting CT imaging in community-based settings.” Mark Figgitt, Group COO of MARS Bioimaging, who led the FDA process, added: “Achieving FDA clearance validates the safety and effectiveness of our portable photon-counting CT scanner, purpose-built for community based settings, including clinical offices, sports medicine clinics and ambulatory service units. It is designed for clinicians to use across the diagnostic pathway, including pre- and post-surgical planning, assessment of fracture healing, and identification of implant-related complications.” The scanner leverages advanced photon-counting detector technology developed originally through particle physics research at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), home of the Higgs boson discovery. MARS Bioimaging holds the exclusive licence from CERN to commercialize this Medipix3 technology for medical imaging. Rafael Ballabriga, Spokesperson for the Medipix3 collaboration at CERN, said: “It is very rewarding to see a technology developed initially for High Energy Physics transferred to the medical field for the benefit of society. It was a long journey starting with the adaptation of the technology to spectroscopic X-ray imaging by the Medipix3 Collaboration. MARS then built a ground-breaking medical product around the device and overcame the many hurdles associated with achieving this major milestone of FDA approval. We congratulate them!” Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City, the world's leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health and a MARS Bioimaging collaborator, welcomed the FDA clearance news. HSS Managing Director, Business Development, Vijay Nair said: “We are excited to see MARS achieve this important milestone. At HSS, our physicians and innovators are committed to continuously improving patient outcomes through our work with new technologies. Our collaboration with MARS on the portable photon-counting CT scanner for upper extremities is evidence of this and has allowed us to support the development of imaging technology aimed at enhancing diagnostic patient care.” Dr Roland Toder, Partner at Pacific Channel, said: “Pacific Channel is proud to have backed MARS Bioimaging through its Series A and to have supported the company at board level through pivotal inflection points on its commercialisation pathway. FDA clearance is a defining milestone, providing independent validation of the technology and establishing a clear route into the U.S. clinical and reimbursement ecosystem. Our role extends well beyond capital. Through rigorous diligence and active board engagement, we work with companies to sharpen execution, align regulatory and reimbursement strategy, and position for global scale. MARS has delivered on each of these dimensions.” Dr Ojas Mahapatra, Group CEO, MARS Bioimaging, said: “FDA clearance represents a pivotal milestone for MARS Bioimaging. In addition to enabling commercial rollout in the United States, it provides important validation that supports regulatory pathways and market adoption globally.” IMAGES & VIDEO: For all photo options, view OneDrive
About MARS Bioimaging MARS Bioimaging Limited is a Christchurch, New Zealand–based medical imaging company developing portable imaging technology that delivers premium imaging in community-based settings. MARS imaging systems leverage advanced Medipix detector technology developed at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) by the Medipix3 Collaboration, which includes the University of Canterbury. MARS Bioimaging holds the exclusive licence from CERN to deploy this technology for medical imaging in point-of-care settings. For more information, see https://www.marsbioimaging.com/ Media contact: Sandra Lukey, Shine Group (PR for MARS Bioimaging) Cell: +64 21 2262 858 Email: sandra@shinegroup.co.nz
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From protein-packed snacks to gut-health breakthroughs, the future of food was on full display at Natural Products Expo West 2026 in Anaheim When we launched Free AF in the US, there was one retailer at the top of our list. Today, we're finally on their shelves and it's exciting AF! T#FreeAF #WholeFoods #GetDrunkOnLife #WomenInBusiness #WomensHistoryMonth #IWD2026 Congratulations to the team at Harker Herbals for officially kicking off the United States retail expansion, starting with PCC Community Markets
FileInvite has completed first close on a $2M bridge round ahead of our Series B as we scale our work in US complex lending.
Autex Acoustics North America has announced a landmark partnership with Momentum Textiles & Wallcovering, the largest supplier of textiles and wallcoverings in the U.S., marking the first time Momentum has partnered with a New Zealand-grown company. Two million Americans are about to see Auckland like never before A US TV show featuring a US star learning about Matariki is about to go live in the US and worldwide. We supported the production, in the hopes that it will capitalise on the tourism growth from the US recently and attract even more visitors!
The show is called Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi and reaches 2 million viewers per episode. Mickela spent time in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland last year learning about Māori culture through haka, poi and waiata.
Two New Zealand episodes, Māori in Aotearoa (aired on 22 Dec) and Matariki in Aotearoa (aired on 29 Dec), highlight both traditional and contemporary Māori cultural practices in Tāmaki Makaurau. The episodes are anchored by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei with Dane Tumahai as their kaitiaki.
Crash Champions has completed a full-scale deployment of Orderly™ by PartsTrader across its network of 650+ repair center in 38 states and Washington DC. This collaborative integration solidifies Crash Champions as the first MSO to pioneer Orderly™, which is already delivering smarter, faster, and more accurate parts procurement at scale and redefining how technology empowers repairers.
WASHINGTON — Today, the United States Trade Representative initiated investigations of 60 economies under Section 301(b) of the Trade Act of 1974. The investigations will determine whether acts, policies, and practices of each of these economies related to the failure to impose and effectively enforce a ban on the importation of goods produced with forced labor are unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict U.S. commerce. The list of economies subject to these investigations—60 of the largest trading partners of the United States—is below. “Despite the international consensus against forced labor, governments have failed to impose and effectively enforce measures banning goods produced with forced labor from entering their markets. For too long, American workers and firms have been forced to compete against foreign producers who may have an artificial cost advantage gained from the scourge of forced labor,” said Ambassador Greer. “These investigations will determine whether foreign governments have taken sufficient steps to prohibit the importation of goods produced with forced labor and how the failure to eradicate these abhorrent practices impacts U.S. workers and businesses.” Background Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 is designed to address unfair foreign practices affecting U.S. commerce. Section 301 may be used to respond to unjustifiable, unreasonable, or discriminatory foreign government practices that burden or restrict U.S. commerce. Under Section 302(b) of the Trade Act, the United States Trade Representative may self-initiate an investigation under Section 301. An investigation under Section 301(b) of the Trade Act examines whether the acts, policies, or practices of a foreign country are unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict U.S. commerce. After considering the advice of the inter-agency Section 301 Committee, and consulting with appropriate advisory committees, the United States Trade Representative has initiated these investigations. Upon initiation of an investigation, the United States Trade Representative must seek consultations with the economies whose acts, policies, or practices are under investigation. USTR has requested consultations with the governments of these economies in connection with these investigations. USTR will hold hearings in connection with these investigations on April 28, 2026. To be assured of consideration, interested persons should submit written comments, requests to appear at the hearing, along with a summary of the testimony, by April 15, 2026. A pre-publication version of the Federal Register Notice is available here. A docket for comments regarding the investigation will be available here. A docket for requests to appear at the public hearing to be held in connection with this investigation will be available here. Economies subject to these investigations: 1. Algeria 2. Angola 3. Argentina 4. Australia 5. The Bahamas 6. Bahrain 7. Bangladesh 8. Brazil 9. Cambodia 10. Canada 11. Chile 12. China, People’s Republic of 13. Colombia 14. Costa Rica 15. Dominican Republic 16. Ecuador 17. Egypt 18. El Salvador 19. European Union 20. Guatemala 21. Guyana 22. Honduras 23. Hong Kong, China 24. India 25. Indonesia 26. Iraq 27. Israel 28. Japan 29. Jordan 30. Kazakhstan 31. Kuwait 32. Libya 33. Malaysia 34. Mexico 35. Morocco 36. New Zealand 37. Nicaragua 38. Nigeria 39. Norway 40. Oman 41. Pakistan 42. Peru 43. Philippines 44. Qatar 45. Russia 46. Saudi Arabia 47. Singapore 48. South Africa 49. South Korea 50. Sri Lanka 51. Switzerland 52. Taiwan 53. Thailand 54. Trinidad and Tobago 55. Türkiye 56. United Arab Emirates 57. United Kingdom 58. Uruguay 59. Venezuela 60. Vietnam Source: https://ustr.gov/
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