Felicity Roxburgh appointed Executive Director of New Zealand International Business Forum
The New Zealand International Business Forum (NZIBF) has announced Felicity Roxburgh will take over as its new executive director.
New Zealand joining 15 other World Trade Organisation members to set up interim arrangements to solve trade disputes is a welcome step, says the NZ International Business Forum.
“Ensuring effective arbitration of trade disputes is a vital component of the international trade system,” says NZIBF chair, Malcolm Bailey.
New Zealand and 15 other members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), including the European Union and China are establishing an arrangement that will allow them to bring appeals and solve trade disputes among themselves.
This is in view of the current paralysis of the WTO’s Appellate Body.
“New Zealand, as a small trading nation, has an enormous stake in the robustness of the WTO dispute settlement system. We have taken on the largest traders in the world and won when our trading interests have been unjustly threatened.”
Bailey says the WTO system has been seriously weakened by the unfortunate lapse of the Appellate Body at the end of last year.
“It is good to see a diverse number of WTO members taking steps to redress the situation, but this is at best a temporary solution – what we need is the Appellate Body fully functioning again.”
Bailey says that trade disputes are likely to increase as a consequence of increasing protectionism, already prevalent before the current global health crisis. Export bans and increased tariffs on the goods required to address the pandemic are a rising concern.
“Re-starting the engines of global trade and investment will be critical in the post-crisis world. Timely and effective arbitration of disputes between economies will be needed more than ever.
We urge other WTO members to come together to build a stronger dispute settlement system” says Bailey.
Commercial fruit and vegetable growers are being encouraged to cast their votes in the Horticulture New Zealand (HortNZ) board directors' election.
A unique discovery by a Palmerston North science company, Biolumic, looks set to revolutionise the value and potential of ryegrass and the secret is the application of ultraviolet (UV) light.
A New Zealand company is redefining the global collagen game by turning New Zealand sheepskin into a world-class health product.
With further extreme weather on the way, ANZ Bank is encouraging farmers and business owners impacted by the recent extreme weather and flooding to seek support if they need it.
New Zealand must continue to educate Chinese consumers about the unique qualities of its red meat products and how they differ from competitors, says Silver Fern Farms chief executive Dan Boulton.
There are opportunities outside the farmgate for young farmers to further develop their skills, says 2025 Primary Industries Emerging Leader Award winner Bridie Virbickas.
OPINION: Dust ups between rural media and PR types aren't unheard of but also aren't common, given part of the…
OPINION: The Hound hears from his canine pals in Southland that an individual's derogatory remarks on social media have left…