Trade Minister Tim Groser will attend the Pacific Islands Forum Trade Ministers’ meeting in Brisbane, Australia from 23-24 October to advance PACER Plus - a proposed trade and economic development agreement between Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.

PACER Plus is part of a wider process of regional economic integration provided for under the Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations (PACER).

“This is the first Trade Ministers’ meeting since Leaders agreed to launch negotiations on PACER Plus at the recent Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Cairns.

“We need to set about putting the ‘Plus’ into PACER and looking at how we can really encourage economic development in the Pacific,” Mr Groser said.

New Zealand sees the proposed agreement as a means to promote sustainable economic growth in the region by improving Pacific Island countries' export capacity, increasing jobs and providing the tools to raise standards of living.

Following the Pacific Trade Ministers' meeting, Mr Groser will travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where he will join Prime Minister John Key for the signing of the New Zealand-Malaysia Free Trade Agreement.

ENDS

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