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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

Fair Trade?
11-Nov-2008    
The alarm clock squawks you awake and you reach for your asthma inhaler to start the day. Damn, nearly empty. That's another whack off the weekly budget. Drugs have got so much more expensive since the 2011 free trade deal forced changes to Pharmac's bargain basement pricing scheme.
Doubts on US free trade deal
10-Nov-2008    
Free trade talks with the United States are likely to go on the back-burner as United States president-elect Barak Obama focuses on the global financial crisis, some southern business leaders believed.
Hopes Obama won't hurt trade deal
7-Nov-2008    
Two senior politicians with unique insights into New Zealand's relationship with the United States are both hopeful the election of Barack Obama as President will not hurt the chances of a potentially lucrative trade deal.
Key wants FTA kept at the forefront
5-Nov-2008    
US President-elect Barack Obama has acknowledged his government faces huge economic challenges and more tough times ahead.
NZ hopes Obama will sign on to trade deal
5-Nov-2008    
New Zealand's free trade talks with the United States should still be on the agenda early next year, even though president-elect Barack Obama is less of a trade liberal than John McCain.
NZ keeps pressure on Japan economic partnership
14-Oct-2008     NBR
New Zealand government representatives are still pushing for some form of free-trade agreement with Japan.
Defence industry wants US free trade deal
9-Oct-2008     RNZ
The New Zealand defence industry is renewing calls for a free trade agreement with the United States, which would allow New Zealand companies to compete for a slice of US military contracts.
US FTA shows lessons of Fonterra not learned
22-Sep-2008     Scoop
The New Zealand Alliance Party says a proposed new free trade deal with the USA is a race to the bottom that will be great for big business and terrible for workers. The party's trade spokesperson Victor Billot says any free trade deal is coming at a strange time as the global financial system teeters on the edge of collapse and Fonterra's venture into China has ended in disaster.
FTA negotiations with Malaysia to resume next week
8-Sep-2008     NZPA
Negotiations to secure a free trade agreement (FTA) with Malaysia will resume next week, New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said today.
New Zealand should exploit Mexico/US FTA
26-Aug-2008     NBR
New Zealand companies should take advantage of Mexico's free trade agreement with the United States and look at entering the lucrative US market via its neighbour, a visiting trade representative says.