Trade

Landcorp, New Zealand’s largest corporate farmer, plans to increase returns from sheep, signing a three-year contract with NZ Merino to manage its entire wool clip and seeking board approval next month to build a new shed to trial milking some of the flock. The state-owned enterprise indicated last July it was taking a serious look at milking sheep as a way of getting a …

By Alan Oxley Last week’s APEC Leaders’ Meeting in Beijing was more significant than many business leaders realise – and certainly more important than the anti-trade protests that gained headlines across New Zealand. For the first time, there was a genuine agreement – and push — on  a broader Free Trade Agreement for the Asia Pacific (FTAAP). The prime mover …

There can be little doubt that the Australian’s have pulled off a rather remarkable piece of diplomatic manoeuvring to strike what appears to be such a comprehensive and far reaching Free Trade Agreement with the Chinese government. The broadly based FTA includes agreement on areas including Agriculture, Resources, Service industries, Investment and Worker mobility. Few expected anything so extensive or …

New Zealand’s recently signed Free Trade Agreement with Korea is a positive step in freeing up our trade relations and represents an absolute bottom line for the quality of outcomes for further agreements.  “We appreciate how difficult it has been to reach an agreement with Korea, and are pleased to now be on a level playing field with our trade …

Here’s a quick snapshot of what NZ Business is saying about yesterday’s conclusion of the FTA agreement NEW ZEALAND BUSINESS FORUM  (NZIBF) welcomes end of marathon negotiations –  delighted Trade Minister Groser and his officials have got it over the line. NZIBF Chairman Sir Graeme Harrison noted  Korea is a significant trading partner for New Zealand and a number of …

Gower: Barack Obama yesterday called Vladimir Putin a threat to the world. Do you agree with that? Key: Potentially. If you look at what’s happening in Ukraine and the wider, sort of, Eastern Bloc and the, you know, potential motivations and intentions, it’s a very serious situation, and I think that’s why you are seeing countries respond, and I think …

Trade Minister Tim Groser  welcomed the announcement on the successful conclusion of negotiations with the Republic of Korea on a Free Trade Agreement. “Korea is one of New Zealand’s biggest and most important trading partners,” says  Groser.  “The FTA will deliver real economic benefits for both our countries. It will create more opportunities for our business and will deliver cheaper products …

Anzco chairman Sir Graeme Harrison – who also leads the NZ International Business Forum – has pledged business support for a “fighting fund” to promote free trade. The Harrison pledge was made a a breakfast with Prime Minister John Key in Beijing earlier today. It appeared to be in response to the anti- TPP protests which have dominated NZ headlines …

The pressure will go on Barack Obama today to put his political capital on the line and get Congressional support to close out TPP. The mantra around the Apec meeting earlier today was “the finish line is in sight” when it comes to finalising negotiations on the Trans Pacific Partnership. The chapters of the TPP agreement are in place with …

It might be churlish to note that the United States wasn’t making a great deal of the anti-competitive nature of other nation’s currency settings when it was in the thick of quantitative easing That unpalatable truth hasn’t featured at all among the issues up for negotiation during the lengthy Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations. But the Financial Times is reporting that the Obama …