The new Customs and Excise Bill will strengthen border management and make life simpler for businesses, says Customs Minister Nicky Wagner. “The Bill will take the place of the out-dated Customs and Excise Act 1996, which is difficult to understand and apply, creating unnecessary compliance costs for business,” Ms Wagner says. “Businesses’ obligations will be clearer and there will be more flexibility in meeting them in the new modern legislation. “We have addressed concerns raised by the public during consultation around Customs’ powers to search e-devices at the border. “Customs’ powers to examine and access electronic devices will be restricted…

WELLINGTON， Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand exports to South Korea have grown strongly since the two countries implemented a bilateral free trade agreement in December last year， Trade Minister Todd McClay said Tuesday. In the first nine months since entry into force of the New Zealand-Korea Free Trade Agreement， food and beverage exports to South Korea rose 16 percent to 449 million NZ dollars (317.17 million U.S. dollars) compared to the same period a year earlier， McClay said in a statement ahead of the first anniversary of the agreement. "Those products where tariffs have been eliminated immediately have fared…

| Wellington Nov 23, 2016 | -Trade Minister Todd McClay and opposition MPs will travel to Europe and Iran over the next week to take part in a number of trade-related events. Mr McClay says New Zealand needs to engage more broadly in trade-related activities in Europe and this mission would offer a valuable opportunity to promote New Zealand goods and services in these lucrative markets. "Italy, France and the United Kingdom are collectively worth more than $9.2 billion of two-way trade and are home to 190 million consumers. That is significant. “The mission will engage directly with New Zealand…

Trade Minister Todd McClay and Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry YB Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed met at APEC in Lima today to conclude the first General Review of the Malaysia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (MNZFTA). The FTA entered into force on 1 August 2010. “The strong trade and investment flows between the two economies are underpinned by a close and cooperative working relationship,” says Mr McClay. “It is a solid platform to develop further trade and investment opportunities in both our countries.” The Review Report concludes that the operation and implementation of the Agreement is serving the Agreement’s…

Prime Minister John Key today announced the launch of negotiations to upgrade the New Zealand - China Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The announcement followed a meeting this morning with Trade Minister Todd McClay and Chinese Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng at the APEC Summit in Lima, Peru. Mr Key and President Xi welcomed the commitment to an upgrade at the APEC Leaders’ retreat today. “New Zealand was the first developed country to negotiate and conclude an FTA with China, and I’m pleased that today we have reached the fifth ‘first’ in our relationship, as the first developed country to launch an…

Obvious benefits emerging from shrouds | Napier - MSCNewsWire - Monday 21 Nov,2016 |- Now that the media-led hysteria attendant upon the election of Donald Trump is fading we can obtain a clear fix on the new United States trade policies. They in fact indicate an increasingly fair wind for New Zealand. The priority is to in-shore what was once United States based engineering and manufacturing and return it to the rust-belts where the electors voted heavily for Trump. This will not affect New Zealand which in the 1980s and in pursuit of globalisation ceased the manufacture here, actually added…

Trade Minister Todd McClay has welcomed the third reading of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement Amendment Bill in Parliament today. The passage of this Bill is a significant step towards New Zealand ratifying the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). “It will be a signal of the commitment that New Zealand has for the continued liberalisation of international trade. At times when there is uncertainty in the rest of the world, New Zealand’s consistent and trusted voice of negotiating trade outcomes that are good for our economy needs to be heard. “Our vision for a mechanism to enhance trade between four countries grew into…

Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Paul Goldsmith has welcomed the passing of the Patents (Trans-Tasman Patent Attorneys and Other Matters) Amendment Bill, which will implement a joint trans-Tasman licensing regime for New Zealand and Australian patent attorneys. Patent attorneys make up a small profession providing specialist advice to innovative businesses on the protection and exploitation of intellectual property. “The two countries share over 500 trans-Tasman patent attorneys. With many of them already registered in both jurisdictions it makes sense to take advantage of economies of scale and save the profession time, money and effort. “A modern regime for regulating patent…

Foreign Minister Murray McCully will travel to the Middle East next week to meet with leaders and counterparts in Jordan, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories and to attend the Sir Bani Yas Forum in Abu Dhabi. “New Zealand continues to serve as a member of the United Nations Security Council until the end of the year and we remain focused on doing what we can to help address the current conflicts in the Middle East,” Mr McCully says. In addition to meeting with regional leaders Minister McCully will attend the 7th Sir Bani Yas Forum in Abu Dhabi. Hosted…

United States foreign worker clampdown will boost US milk production costs MSCNewsWire - Nov 10, 2016 / New Zealand’s primary produce export opportunities are more likely to rise rather than decline with the election of Donald Trump as United States President. The reason is that the incoming president as a priority has the dismantling of the confrontation between the US and Russia. The economic component of this stand-off is the United States-led embargo on exports to Russia. A détente will open up Russia especially to exports from the EU which is the United States main partner in the embargo. The…