Editorial: We are Trumped
OPINION: Nothing it seems can be done in the short term to get Donald Trump to change his mind about removing the unfair 15% tariffs that he’s imposed on New Zealand exports to the US.
Trade Minister Todd McClay is confident the European Union and New Zealand will begin negotiating a free trade agreement by the end of the year.
McClay says when he was in Paris at the OECD recently he met with the EU Trade Commissioner, Cecilia Malmström, who confirmed her organisation was on track to launch the negotiations by the end of the year.
NZ’s reputation for fairness in negotiating trade deals is working in our favour, McClay says. We have a reputation for doing quality deals.
“Such is our reputation that Cecilia Malmström told me if the EU can’t do a deal with NZ we can’t do a deal with anyone."
He says the EU's willingness to begin talks is due to NZ's efforts over the last couple of years. He has personally met with representatives of most EU member states and some he has seen several times.
“At some stage I will seek a mandate from the cabinet to begin talks and Cecilia Malmström is going through a similar process. But there are 27 countries to deal with so it takes a bit longer,” he says.
“They have all said they want to do a FTA with NZ, but some have also noted there will be a challenge in access for our agricultural products. We know that; it is always challenging for NZ on dairy and meat, so we will just go and get the best deal we can.”
Also helpful from NZ’s point of view is that many EU countries, notably Netherlands and Ireland, have strong cultural and historical ties with us. And many new EU members are also talking up an FTA with us, including members of the former Soviet Union bloc.
“They are economies that want to trade with the world and they become richer with trade and that’s why they are open to that idea of an FTA. When the UK voted to leave the EU, people said ‘your best friend has gone’, but we have still many, many countries that support NZ on trade."
Open Country Dairy has finalised a deal to acquire 100% of Miraka.
Fonterra has unveiled the first refrigerated electric truck to deliver dairy products across Auckland.
Research and healthcare initiatives, leadership and dedication to the sector have been recognised in the 2025 Horticulture Industry Awards.
Virtual fencing and pasture management company Halter says its NZ operations has delivered a profit of $2.8 million after exclusion of notional items.
Manuka honey trader Comvita slumped to a $104 million net loss last financial year, reflecting prolonged market disruption, oversupply and pricing volatility.
The Government has struck a deal with New Zealand's poultry industry, agreeing how they will jointly prepare for and respond to exotic poultry diseases, including any possible outbreak of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI).