On the 7th April 2008 New Zealand became the first OECD country to sign a free trade agreement with China. Such a significant event was the culmination of 35 years of diplomacy between the two countries and represented a new era in economic, political and cultural relations. A website was the obvious channel to provide the cross-government agency information to help New Zealanders understand the FTA, what it means for them, and to provide a central repository of tools and resources for doing business in China and in New Zealand.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs turned to Breathe Communications to design and develop the site. Understanding that the information architecture and usability of the site was highly important, as well as the presentation and quality of content to inspire trust and confidence, we undertook a comprehensive persona and card sort exercise. In addition, we recognized that providing useful tools and resources would enable business owners to gauge the potential of the market, learn from others and improve their market access. To this end, a tariff calculator, time and meeting planner, case studies from successful exporters and a portal-like approach to other useful websites gives users easy and ready access to a vast array of useful and relevant content.
Within hours of the agreement being signed the site was live and receiving thousands of views. As a resource for both trade policy and business it has already proved highly effective and continues to evolve and develop as the agreement starts being put into practice.