Fieldays gives New Zealand companies the chance to showcase their innovations to a diverse audience – from farmers to international and local investors, media and the general public. Here's just a few of the newest technologies on show last week, at the Southern Hemisphere's largest agricultural event.

James Rickard of the UK's Farmers Guardian recently visited New Zealand on a mission to check out Fieldays 2017, talk to pioneering manufacturers and get hands on with some of the tech. Take a look at two of James' interviews with Kiwi agritech companies below, or register for a two-week trial on FGInsight.com to check out all of his video reports.

Hot on the heels of our new guide to East Asia food import processes, we've just released a new resource to help New Zealand export  businesses work successfully with channel partners in the region – including agents, distributors, joint-venture partners and licensors. Read more and download the full guide below.

Take the opportunity to celebrate your achievements and share them with other innovators and the rest of the world - with entries now open in the 2017 New Zealand Innovation Awards. The awards feature 12 sector categories and a further 10 auto-entry categories including the Bayer Supreme New Zealand Innovation award, so if you're doing something amazing, there's a space for you to shine. 

After eight years of negotiation, PACER Plus was signed in Tonga last week, bringing New Zealand and Australia together with 11 other Pacific nations in a single trade and development agreement. The deal is designed to create an easier environment for doing doing business throughout the region, increasing trade and investment flows, and raising living standards across the Pacific.

Kitchens with no ovens, bone-in cuts preferred to boneless, and household shopping done online - there's a steep learning curve in China for meat exporters used to New Zealand consumer habits. Alliance Group's David Surveyor passes on some key lessons from a recent NZTE in-market immersion programme, including the importance of testing assumptions and learning what buyers really value.

The hunt is on for New Zealand's finest foods and beverages, with entries now open for the 2017 New Zealand Food Awards. Award categories include health and wellness, novel ingredients, food safety, export innovation and more, plus a supreme award presented by organiser Massey University. Entries are open until the end of the month.

Explore opportunities across a wide range of investment sectors in Papua New Guinea - including infrastructure, construction, services, agribusiness, natural resources and energy - at a two-day conference in Sydney. The conference includes a Pacific Islands Investment Seminar on day two, with an update on the Pacific business climate, regional highlights and opportunities, and expert advice.

Founder Chloe Van Dyke has successfully taken Chia's herbal energy drinks to Singapore and Malaysia, and last month secured their launch in 24 premium supermarkets across Hong Kong. Here's her take on the challenges of tackling new markets in East Asia, including some hard-won lessons for other F&B exporters.

More F&B success from Nelson! After ten years in business, Pic's Really Good Peanut Butter has made its way onto shelves across Australia, the United Kingdom and the USA - and it'll soon be available in China as well. Founder Pic Picot talked to Stuff.co.nz about introducing Chinese buyers to an unfamiliar but intriguing Western food product.