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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 …

New Zealand expects to benefit from commitments secured at the G20 Leaders’ Summit, from the world’s 20 biggest economies, to lift economic growth by an extra 2.1 percent by 2018.  In a communique released at the end of the weekend summit in Brisbane, the G20 group, made up of countries which represent 85 percent of global economic activity and 75 …

 There is broad global support for moves to curb international tax avoidance, New Zealand Finance Minister Bill English said on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Brisbane.  Cracking down on tax avoidance is one of the key agenda items at this weekend’s G20 Summit, where New Zealand is an invited guest. The G20 countries make up 85 percent of global economic activity …

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 …

John Key said New Zealand would use the opportunity at the G20 to talk to some of the leaders he hadn’t had an opportunity to talk to at recent APEC or East Asian Summit gatherings.  He singled out Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz as New Zealand seeks to progress the Gulf states free trade agreement and the European Commission …

New Zealand inflation, which unexpectedly fell to the bottom of the Reserve Bank’s target band in the third quarter, is likely to pick up again as pressures emerge in the labour market, Finance Minister Bill English said.  Economists have pushed out their expectations for New Zealand interest rate hikes after a report last month showed consumer prices rose at an annual rate of …