As negotiations accelerate to conclude an ambitious free trade agreement between New Zealand and the European Union, the NZ International Business Forum (NZIBF), representing a cross section of major exporters, urges the Government and its negotiators to hold out for a commercially meaningful deal which expands market access for all exports and does not disadvantage or penalise any one sector.

The Art of the (Mini-) Deal: a New US-Japan Trade Agreement
The US and Japan have struck a new “mini” trade deal. Japanese agriculture concessions mean that New Zealand exports will face increased competition in Japan from US beef, cheese and other products – as we would have done had the US remained in CPTPP – but...
Trading into uncertainty: Two months to Brexit
Photo: Even Newton’s Cradle stops eventually – but only after the shockwaves are transmitted along the chain. We are now less than two months out from the Brexit deadline. A “no-deal” UK exit seems increasingly likely – but the picture for trade remains...
The Great Unravelling
The trade war is spawning an increasingly chaotic global trade environment, where the old conventions about sticking to the rules and using quiet diplomacy to solve problems seem to be unravelling. That is not good news for New Zealand – or for the many...
Two and a half cheers for RCEP !
Image: NZ Embassy in Beijing gets a Ministerial visitor this week Ministers – including Hon Damien O’Connor from New Zealand – meet in Beijing this week to try to crunch a little known but very big trade deal. Is it still possible to conclude big new trade...