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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.
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Fonterra has unveiled its annual results for the 2026 financial year, posting $27 billion in revenue and close to $20 billion returned to New Zealand farmer owners and unit holders.
The first major update to the Dairy Cattle Code of Welfare in more than a decade has been released, marking what DairyNZ describes as an important step in ensuring animal welfare standards continue to evolve alongside scientific evidence and on-farm realities.
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