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  1. Negotiations

New Zealand

New Zealand is a party to a number of completed free trade and investment agreements. These are: the Australia-New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Agreement (1983); the New Zealand-Singapore Closer Economic Partnership (2001); the New Zealand-Thailand Closer Economic Partnership (2005); the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership or P4 (2005); the New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement (2008), the Australia-ASEAN-New Zealand free trade agreement (2009), the New Zealand-Malaysia FTA (2009),an FTA with the GCC, (2009) and the New Zealand-Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership (2010).

A New Zealand-India deal has been mooted. New Zealand’s government has indicated that it wants FTAs with Korea and Taiwan

While talk of a US-New Zealand FTA was hotly resisted and never got off the ground, partly because of New Zealand’s anti-nuclear policy, the expansion of what was initially called the P4 agreement to include the US (the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement) threatens to bring important changes to New Zealand policies.

New Zealand has also signed a number of IPPAs (bilateral investment treaties) with Chile, Argentina, Hong Kong, China and others.

last update: May 2012
Photo: NZ Free Trade Watch / Facebook

US senators want Bush to back NZ trade deal
15-Mar-2006
Two United States senators have written to President George Bush to encourage him to start free trade talks with New Zealand.
US senators lend weight to launch of free-trade talks
14-Mar-2006 New Zealand Herald
US senators John McCain and John Sununu have written to President George W. Bush encouraging him to launch free-trade negotiations with New Zealand.
Chile and New Zealand: A growing strategic economic partnership within New Zealand’s Asia-Pacific relationships
12-Mar-2006
Speech by Rt Honorable Helen Clark of the New Zealabd government
New Zealand to explore S. Korea trade deal
28-Feb-2006 AP
New Zealand is planning to explore the possibility of forging a free trade agreement with South Korea, Minister of State Jim Sutton said Tuesday.
FTA should be done with Taiwan, says Dunne
16-Feb-2006
A free trade agreement with Taiwan should be pursued as soon as a deal is done with China, United Future leader Peter Dunne said yesterday.
US-NZ FTA prospects dip
26-Jan-2006
New Zealand’s chances of securing free trade talks with the United States have taken a knock.
US trade talks exclusion ’no slap in face’
24-Jan-2006
New Zealand’s exclusion from a small list of countries the United States hopes to initiate free trade talks with this year is no surprise, the Government says.
US trade meeting planned
16-Jan-2006
Business leaders have been invited to a top-level meeting which could help push New Zealand’s case for a free trade deal with the United States.
US FTA gets a new champion: Senator John McCain
12-Jan-2006
Returning through Christchurch as part of a Congressional delegation visiting American operations in Antarctica, US Senator John McCain, a Republican representing Arizona and a leading conservative centrist, had positive things to say about the possibility of a free trade agreement between the US and New Zealand.
Pledge given on free trade
12-Jan-2006
A group of United States senators has vowed to fight for a free trade agreement (FTA) with New Zealand after a high-level meeting in Christchurch.

    Links

  • New Zealand FTAs
    Government of NZ’ page on FTAs
  • Ngā Toki Whakarururanga
    Māori collective that aims to advance and protect Māori interests in the trade space.
  • Our World Is Not For Sale (New Zealand)
    The OUR WORLD IS NOT FOR SALE campaign was formed around building the protests at the September 2007 US-NZ Partnership Forum, the global justice campaign aims to build public support and organisation against the signing of any form of free trade agreement between the United States and New Zealand.