SME exporters encouraged to put view

Small businesses face many hurdles when trying to break into the export market.

Now they can point these out to governments around the world through a global survey New Zealand has helped initiate.

Two international agencies - Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation and the Organisation for Economic Development - are surveying thousands of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) world wide on the barriers they face when exporting.

Small Business Minister Lianne Dalziel said it was an opportunity for local SMEs to help change the international environment for exporters.

"This is a great opportunity for New Zealand businesses to connect with an international initiative to better understand issues small businesses face when exporting goods," she said.

"Governments around the world will get to hear what they have to say."

Called "Removing Barriers to SME Access to International Markets", the New Zealand-led survey will be one of the biggest surveys of SMEs ever carried out, spanning 44 economies and potentially thousands of businesses.

To date, there has been little research on the types of barriers SMEs face in doing business globally for either OECD member countries or non-member economies.

As well as basic information on the company, survey questions include:

* The percentage of gross income earned from exporting.

* Barriers to selling offshore; marketing, logistics, distribution, Government, competition.

* Views on Government assistance.

"As well as providing SMEs with a voice on the international stage, I will be making sure the survey's findings help inform Government decisions in New Zealand," said Dalziel.

The survey, which closes on April 30, takes about 20 minutes to complete and can be found online at the link below.