The government has set a target of increasing exports by 10 per cent by 2025.
That means lifting the contribution exports make to the economy from the current 30 per cent of GDP to 40 per cent, and Finance Minister Bill English says it's a big challenge.
He has released a report which maps out ways to achieve it.
It says there will need to be a shift away from the production of goods and services for the domestic economy towards international markets.
Investment will have to flow into new opportunities created by rapidly rising incomes in Asian countries and the government must make it easier for businesses to access those markets.
A new agency with a will be appointed to develop branding strategies based on the experiences of business leaders involved in overseas markets.
Mr English says there will be six-monthly reports monitoring progress.
Labour says the plan is a list of old ideas and a goal the government was talking about four years ago.
"Every year National comes up with another pretty brochure they call an economic plan but, as ever, there's no grunt behind them" economic development spokesman David Cunliffe said.
The Greens say the plan doesn't even mention the biggest problem exporters face - the high value of the New Zealand dollar.
"Close to half of all exporters say that is the biggest barrier they face," co-leader Russel Norman said.
"Exporters struggle to compete because our dollar is over-priced and our domestic manufacturers are undercut by artificially cheap imports."
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