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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

New Zealand explores free trade agreement with South America
8-Mar-2018 Xinhua
New Zealand is interested in strengthening economic ties with the Mercosur trading bloc, a South American regional economic organization, Minister for Trade and Export Growth David Parker said.
Russia free trade agreement not the priority: PM
6-Nov-2017 NZ Herald
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says securing a free trade agreement with the European Union is "top of our agenda" - and much higher than getting a deal with Russia across the line.
NZ to ban foreign buyers of existing homes
31-Oct-2017 Scoop
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced plans to effectively ban foreign buyers of existing residential property but says the prohibition doesn’t put New Zealand at odds with the slimmed down version of the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal.
New government’s TPPA problems start next week
20-Oct-2017 Scoop
The new government of Labour, New Zealand First and the Greens will have to move fast if they are going to influence the outcomes of trade and investment agreements being negotiated.
No more business as usual: Where to now for international trade?
21-Jul-2017 Policy Observatory
What is the future of international trade in a world of re-emergent national populism and voter scepticism of big trade deals? This new report brings together thirteen authors who have written thirteen very different essays on the future of trade.
NZ’s latest trade courtship is an insult to workers’ rights – and workers’ lives
4-Jul-2017 The Spinoff
By plunging into negotiations with Latin American countries in the Pacific Alliance, New Zealand maintains its shameful record of failing to hold partners to account on labour abuses.
NZ first in line for Latin and South American trade deal
27-Jun-2017 NZ Herald
New Zealand hopes to take another step towards being the first country to sign up to a trade deal with a group of Latin American and South American countries.
Gulf states trade deal in doubt again following Qatari blow-up, English says
6-Jun-2017 NBR
The long-stalled free trade agreement between New Zealand and the Gulf Cooperation Council faces further delay.
New Zealand renews push to secure Gulf FTA
21-Apr-2017 Xinhua
New Zealand Economic Development Minister Simon Bridges will make a further push to secure a long-stalled trade agreement with Arab states on a visit to the United Arab Emirates.
New Zealand FM optimistic on finalising stalled Gulf trade deal this year
6-Mar-2017 Reuters
New Zealand is optimistic it will complete its stalled free trade deal with the Gulf states this year as part of efforts to deepen economic ties with the region

    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.