What's going on?
OPINION: On the 2nd of May, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay announced that the 'government remains on track to ban full farm-to-forestry conversion'.
His comments follow the announcement from US President Donald Trump that New Zealand would face a 10% tariff on goods entering the United States.
"While this is a significant development, New Zealand remains competitive against other exporters in the U.S. market," McClay says.
He says tariffs have consequences for the global economy, impacting inflation, demand, currency stability, and economic growth.
"While these tariffs create additional costs that will largely be passed on to consumers, New Zealand is in a stronger position than many other countries, some who are facing higher tariff barriers," McClay says. "This reinforces the importance of our work to create new trade opportunities and reduce barriers for our exporters in the EU, UK, UAE, GCC and most recently India."
McClay says New Zealand's bilateral relationship with the United States is still strong.
"We will be talking with the Administration to get more information, and our exporters to better understand the impact this announcement will have," he adds.
"We will continue to advocate for a rules-based trading system."
