News:
The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade welcomed Deputy US Trade Representative Sarah Bianchi and representatives from the Office of the US Trade Representative to Wellington on 4 April for discussions under the New Zealand-United States Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA).
These were the first TIFA consultations between the United States and New Zealand since 2019, with discussions having been paused during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The discussions provided an opportunity to discuss the strong bilateral trade and economic relationship between the United States and New Zealand, and explore opportunities for future growth.
Regional initiatives such as APEC and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework and were also discussed, with a focus on how the US and New Zealand can continue to work together to promote regional stability and prosperity, including through the 2023 US APEC host year. New Zealand also discussed its role as Chair of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in 2023 and views were exchanged regarding the next WTO ministerial meeting in February 2024 .
The talks were led by Ambassador Bianchi for the United States and Deputy Secretary (Trade and Economic), Vangelis Vitalis, for New Zealand.
While in Wellington, the US representatives also attended a roundtable with representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment, Te Puni Kōkiri, and the Ministry for Primary Industries on Māori economic development and New Zealand’s work on indigenous trade issues.
The United States is one of New Zealand’s most significant trade partners. In 2022, it was New Zealand’s third largest trading partner, with NZ$22.9b in two-way trade. It is also New Zealand’s third largest source of foreign investment.