On this page
The Agreement will be incorporated into our existing bilateral Free Trade Agreement with Singapore and will commit both countries to not imposing export restrictions on an agreed list of goods.
We’re interested in your views to inform how New Zealand engages in this process.
In the face of global supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, New Zealand and Singapore entered into a non-binding Joint Declaration in April 2020 to maintain supply chain continuity and ensure tariffs and other trade barriers were not imposed on essential goods. In April 2022, the Singapore – New Zealand Supply Chain Working Group (SCWG) was announced by the Prime Ministers of Singapore and New Zealand.
The Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies would build on these existing frameworks and include binding provisions that would, among other things, prevent both governments from imposing export restrictions on an agreed list of goods. This would be a negotiated list covering essential goods from both New Zealand and Singapore.
This Agreement would help maintain trade between the two countries in those essential goods during a crisis and would not undercut any existing commercial arrangements.
Negotiations are expected to commence in November and run through 2025.
Have your say on the Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies
As we move forward in the negotiation process, we are interested in what New Zealanders want to see in the Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies. Your views will help inform our overall approach as we participate in negotiations.
In particular, we are interested to hear from New Zealanders on the following questions:
- What goods from New Zealand should or should not be included in the annex of the Agreement?
- What goods should New Zealand request from Singapore to be included in the annex?
- What other provisions do you think New Zealand should focus on in this Agreement?
- Do we have permission to contact you in the future if we conduct additional consultation related to this?
How to send in your views
Email: AOTES@mfat.govt.nz
Mail:
AOTES Coordinator
Economic Division
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Private Bag 18-901, Wellington
What we do with your views
As part of ongoing consultations, the views of New Zealanders are collated and reported to Ministers. Officials take those views into account when setting their negotiating positions.
Please be aware that all responses may be subject to release under the Official Information Act 1982. No personal or identifiable information will be released as part of a response.
When we need to hear from you by
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade will be seeking initial public feedback on this Agreement until 6 January 2025.