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.
“Positioning New Zealand In A Time Of Uncertainty”
ADDRESS TO THE SHEPHERDS WELLINGTON, 10 FEBRUARY 2020 STEPHEN JACOBI, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NZ INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS FORUM My thanks to my friend and New Zealand’s new Special Agricultural Trade Envoy, Mel Poulton, for the invitation to join you this morning. Mel has...
Trade war – peace in our time?
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 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...
Don’t Panic, Miss Muffet
Originally published in The Spinoff, June 2019. Taking a longer term view of developments in the China market would help everyone’s stress levels. These are tense time for trade. The ongoing US/China trade war makes everyone (even me) nervous. And so it...