Overview

New Zealand and the UAE signed the NZ-UAE free trade agreement, known as the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on January 14, 2025. 

The UAE is one of New Zealand’s largest markets in the Middle East, with goods and services exports totalling NZ$1.15 billion in the year to September 2024. New Zealand’s key exports to the UAE include dairy, industrial products, meat, horticultural products and travel services. 

The UAE’s dynamic and high-value market offers significant opportunities for export growth and diversification for New Zealand companies. The CEPA, expected to enter into force later this year, underpins these opportunities and supports the Government’s ambitious goal of doubling the value of exports in 10 years.

Negotiations of the NZ-UAE CEPA concluded in just over four months — making this New Zealand’s fastest-ever FTA negotiation. 

Key benefits include:

• An important expansion of New Zealand’s free trade agreement network into the Middle East for the first time, providing new opportunities and certainty for traders.
• New Zealand producers will have the best-available access to the UAE market, with 99% of New Zealand goods exporters able to access the market duty-free. This includes all New Zealand’s dairy, red meat, horticultural and industrial products immediately when the Agreement enters into force. 
• A package of trade-facilitative rules that will ensure exporters can easily take advantage of the tariff preferences, as well as on digital trade, non-tariff barriers, intellectual property and competition, complementing the market access outcomes.
• The provision of transparent, non-discriminatory rules for our services exporters, that will ensure a level playing field. Commitments on key services sectors of interest for New Zealand, including professional services, education services, and the audio-visual and gaming sectors, will ensure our exporters receive no less favourable treatment to domestic UAE companies, and in many cases better treatment than that afforded to other foreign service suppliers.
• Significant opportunities to enhance cooperation across areas, including agriculture and sustainable energy, aviation and maritime sectors, as the UAE is a key export destination and hub in the Gulf region.
• A Bilateral Investment Treaty, concluded in conjunction with the CEPA, that promotes and protects investment, supporting economic growth and prosperity, while ensuring the right to regulate is protected. Consistent with New Zealand’s existing policy settings, the Agreement does not contain Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions.
• Provisions that reflect the opportunities for Māori in the agreement, including a dedicated cooperation chapter and by reducing regulatory barriers Māori businesses may encounter. As with our other trade agreements, New Zealand’s Treaty of Waitangi exception is included.
• A chapter on Trade and Sustainable Development, to promote the interests of women and protect labour rights and climate change laws and regulations. This is consistent with New Zealand’s long-standing trade and environment and trade and labour frameworks.