Trade and economic analysis

Economic research and analysis

Trade in goods and services lies at the core of New Zealand’s interactions with other countries. New Zealand’s small size and distance from major world markets exacerbates the challenges of breaking into and competing in global markets. These challenges include developing innovative products, finding market niches and distribution channels and understanding local market conditions. Closely related to this is the need to ensure that New Zealand officials domestically and our representatives abroad are well informed on international and domestic economic matters through the provision of policy-relevant, detailed and analytically robust pieces of analysis.

In this context, the trade and economic analysis done by the Economic Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on trade and other international economic issues has three inter-related objectives:

• providing high-quality analysis to support and inform New Zealand's evolving trade policy agenda (including informing New Zealand's free trade agreement negotiators and World Trade Organisation representatives)
• undertaking policy-relevant analysis to help inform the Ministry and other domestic agencies about the role that international connections play in promoting New Zealand's economic growth potential 
• providing an outreach tool for people interested in analysis of trade and international economic issues, and how these affect New Zealand.  

Economic division is also:

• the Ministry's primary source of a range of trade-related data, including bilateral trade flows in merchandise goods and services
• the main liaison point for work with Statistics New Zealand on trade data issues
• responsible for managing the Trade Access Support Programme (TASP) in close consultation with other divisions within the Ministry
• managing New Zealand's relations with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
• managing New Zealand's relations with the G-8
• working with NZAID and other domestic agencies in the context of New Zealand's relations with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Economic Division is responsible for a range of trade and economic issues:

• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD): Economic Division develops and co-ordinates New Zealand’s engagement with, and contribution to, the OECD - a Paris-based intergovernmental policy-focussed organisation aimed at promoting sustainable economic growth.

• New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE): plays a key role in promoting the internationalisation of business, with policy support and guidance from the Ministry of Economic Development (MED) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Both Ministries also have joint responsibility for advising Ministers on the governance, monitoring and evaluation of New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, the Government’s ‘one-stop-shop’ economic development agency. Economic Division provides staff to the joint MED/MFAT ‘Monitoring and Evaluation Unit’ and provides advice to the Government on NZTE activities and programmes.

• Economic Research and Analysis: The Division undertakes analysis and research on contemporary trade and economic policy issues. This work is typically provided in support of other divisions within the Ministry. Collaborative research is also conducted in conjunction with other government agencies. The Division's research supports our trade negotiations at the bilateral (FTA/CEPs), regional (APEC) and multilateral (WTO) levels, and focuses on lifting New Zealand's economic growth potential through improving New Zealand's international connections.

• Trade Statistics: The Division analyses and collects trade and economic statistical data relating to major export/import markets for merchandise goods, services and investment. It prepares concise briefings and data on the New Zealand economy and global economic issues.