The Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee is seeking public submissions about the international treaty examination of the NZ-UK Free Trade Agreement.

The agreement would establish bilateral preferential trade arrangements between New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Negotiations were formally launched in June 2020, an agreement in principle on the main outcomes of the agreement was announced in October 2021, and the agreement was finalised and signed in February 2022.

Securing an agreement with the UK has been a priority for New Zealand since the UK’s decision to leave the European Union in 2016. The benefits of the agreement would be broad, and it is estimated that it will boost New Zealand’s annual GDP by between NZ$710 million and NZ$811million when fully implemented (estimated by 2040). The chapters in the agreement are wide-ranging, including chapters on:

· Māori Trade and Economic Cooperation

· Trade and Gender Equality

· Trade and Development

· Consumer Protection

· Animal Welfare

· Anti-corruption

Tell the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee what you think

Make a submission on the bill by 11.59pm on 13 March 2022.

For more details about the bill:

· Read the NZ-UK Free Trade Agreement

· Read the National Interest Analysis

· Follow the committee's Facebook page for updates

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