increase font size
US President Donald Trump.
OPINION: "We are back to where we were a year ago," according to a leading banking analyst in the UK, referring to US president Donald Trump's latest imposition of a global 10% tariff on all exports into the US.
The BBC quotes Carsten Brzeski, an analyst with investment bank ING, as saying there is now a higher risk that the US' trading partners would retaliate and that there is a risk of a fully-fledged tariff war breaking out; views no doubt shared by many others around the world, including NZ.
While we may be a small country in population terms, we are a big exporter of primary products, and the return of the chaos and uncertainty must surely be testing the skill, resilience and agility of our trade officials and exporters.
Maybe by the time you read this there is some clarification of what level of tariff Trump will impose on us. Then again, maybe not, because NZ is hardly at the top of the list in the Trump administration.
NZ has been careful to appease Trump, and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Trade Minister Todd McClay have chosen their words carefully when responding to previous unpalatable pronouncements by the US leader.
But one senses that other countries are starting to lose patience with Trump's knee jerk and impetuous reactions and that 'peace in our time' may be replaced by a world trade war.
Thid would be disastrous for us because, even if we are not directly affected, we may get caught in the crossfire, which could be just as damaging.
The saving grace for NZ is that it has worked hard and successfully to obtain free trade agreements with other major trading partners which offers exporters certainty.
What beggars belief at this time is why Winston is opposed to the India/NZ FTA which, even if it's not in his eyes absolutely perfect, is surely a means of future proofing out primary export economy.
Supply chain problems, growing protectionism and a move to greater food security are some of the key challenges facing New Zealand exporters, according to our top trade negotiator, Vangelis Vitalis.
PM Chris Luxon can't seem to buy a trick when it comes to the polls, particularly for his own approval rating as preferred Prime Minister.
New Zealand red meat exports are booming but a pending decision in the White House, Washington D.C., could dent sheepmeat earnings.
OPINION: When Donald Trump returned to the White House, many people with half a brain could see the results for the world might be a bit average, and our boy has been busy trying to prove them right.
OPINION: President Trump's tariff wars have torpedoed the US grain belt's biggest market, China, sending many US family farms to the wall.
B+LNZ's Wormwise veterinarian Mary Bowron has won the Best Sheep and Beef Vet of the Year Award in recognition of her outstanding contribution to New Zealand’s sheep and beef sector.
Researchers at Massey University are using a special piece of scientific equipment to improve the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions from pasture soils.
More signs of a booming kiwifruit sector.
OPINION: David Seymour and James Meager's plan to make it easier for farmers and orchardists to operate drones can best be described a 'courageous' move.
New Zealand wool is reaching new heights as air filtration companies move away from synthetic products to biodegradable alternatives.
Opuha Dam's ability to protect South Canterbury communities from major flooding has taken a significant step forward, with Opuha Water Limited (OWL) successfully commissioning a new outlet valve capable of releasing record volumes of water from the dam ahead of a weather event.
OPINION: After hogging the media limelight for telling a NZ Chinese MP to "go back home", Winston Peters has decided…
OPINION: With fuel prices soaring, one would have expected most farmers to be reclaiming excise duty on petrol.
