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Brexit should be good for NZ as we head the trade deal queue, says High Commissioner

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The High Commissioner to Britain believes New Zealand will be better off overall as a result of Brexit, with a country that "needs some wins" eager to enter free trade negotiations, with little experience writes Hamish Rutherfordfor Stuff.

Sir Jerry Mateparae, the former Governor General and Defence Force chief, has been stationed in London since early 2017, during a referendum which found a majority of voters wanted Britain to exit the European Union.

While he described the negotiations as "tortuous" and said Britain faced a number of challenges, Mateparae said that the process for New Zealand – one of a handful of countries with which free trade talks were a priority – should on balance be favourable.