The pandemic is changing the way that we live, work and do business; the ‘Great Lockdown’ is a jarring juxtaposition against the great unlocking of global markets over the last fifty years. However, one area where there is still unfortunately some truth to the...
The World Trade Organisation’s dispute settlement mechanism has long been described as the “jewel in the crown” of the global trading system, offering WTO members certainty about defending their trade rights. Since last December, however, the ability to take...
Rachel Taulelei, CEO of Kono and Chair of the APEC Business Advisory Council for 2021, discusses how the Asia-Pacific business community is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ko te whare tū ki te koraha he kai mā te ahi; ko te whare tū ki te pā tūwatawata he tohu nō...
Photo: First, do no harm - attributed to Hippocrates, 460-370 BC Economies need to fight the Covid-19 virus by standing together. Desperate times call for desperate measures, but not stupid ones. The world faces an unprecedented challenge to human health and to...
The UK has now formally withdrawn from the EU. We will see little change in the short term, thanks to an 11-month “transition period”, but the all-too-fleeting timeframe for negotiating new trade agreements with the EU and others, including New Zealand, means...
The announcement of a ceasefire in the US/China trade war can be greeted with a sigh of relief by the international community but the agreement leaves a number of unanswered questions especially for New Zealand exporters. All eyes were on Washington this week as the...
The sky is definitely not blue for the global trading system. Are these the worst of times? Perhaps. Can they get better – who knows? In his annual report to the AGM of the NZ International Business Forum, Chair Malcolm Bailey writes: “Around the world New...
A new “mini” trade deal between the US and Japan means New Zealand exports will face increased competition from the US in Japan.
We are now less than two months out from the Brexit deadline. New Zealand has agreed on some useful regulatory continuity with the UK for the post-Brexit era, but things are far from clear.
The trade war is unravelling and creating a chaotic global trade environment. That is not good news for New Zealand.