Deepening our engagement with Asia
Asia is integral to New Zealand’s prosperity, security, sustainability, and resilience. Two-way trade reached over NZD$112.9 billion in the year ending June 2026, with 46 percent of our exports heading to Asian markets, underlining the region’s critical importance for the Government’s “Going for Growth” agenda. Many Asian countries are key partners for critical imports, investment, lifting innovation and growing and diversifying exports.
Asia is also critical to New Zealand’s energy supply chains, with close partners the Republic of Korea (ROK), Singapore, Malaysia and Japan supplying over 90 percent of our refined petroleum products.
New Zealand’s security is closely tied to the security of the wider Asia region. Transnational organised crime, irregular migration and radicalisation in the region impact New Zealand. We continue to engage with defence and law enforcement partners and through regional forums to strengthen New Zealand’s support for broader regional stability and resilience.
Over the last year, New Zealand has continued its extensive engagement with key regional partners and forums. The Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and other Ministers led 20 visits to South and Southeast Asia. Significant progress has been made in deepening New Zealand’s engagement with India and Southeast Asia. Relationships with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Singapore were elevated to Comprehensive Strategic Partnerships (CSP). A free trade agreement (FTA) was concluded with India.
International Development Cooperation (IDC) assistance contributed to strengthening New Zealand’s partnership with ASEAN, including through our Manaaki Scholarship Programme. Over the last year, the Ministry delivered training for 736 government officials, professionals and post-graduate scholars from ASEAN countries, boosting people-to-people links, deepening our regional networks and strengthening technical capability.
ASEAN: A Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
During his visit to Malaysia in October 2025 for the East Asia Summit (EAS), the Prime Minister marked the 50th anniversary of dialogue relations between New Zealand and ASEAN, launching a CSP. This put New Zealand in the highest rank of ASEAN’s diplomatic partnerships, joining only six other countries with CSP status — China, the United States, ROK, Japan, India and Australia.
As Comprehensive Strategic Partners, New Zealand and ASEAN will further deepen ties in priority cooperation areas, including security, trade and innovation, education, agriculture and climate change. New Zealand and ASEAN will cooperate in support of a stable, prosperous, rules-based regional order, ensuring we deepen connections with one of the world’s fastest growing and most dynamic regions.
Singapore: A Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
In marking 60 years of diplomatic ties, Prime Ministers Christopher Luxon and Lawrence Wong elevated the New Zealand–Singapore relationship to a CSP in October 2025. The CSP deepens cooperation across six pillars: trade and economics; supply chains and connectivity; defence and security; science and innovation; people to people links; and climate and green technology.
The world-first Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies (AOTES) was negotiated and established under the supply chains and connectivity pillar.
In May 2026, the Prime Ministers opened the inaugural Singapore–New Zealand Leadership Forum, a business led, government-supported, platform for deepening commercial links and identifying opportunities in supply chains, agri-food, digital innovation, artificial intelligence (AI), and green growth. More than 70 chief executives attended, agreeing recommendations for both governments and businesses to take forward.
India: Taking the relationship to the next level
New Zealand’s relationship with India continued to strengthen through sustained high-level engagement by both governments.
In November 2025, India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, visited New Zealand with a 43 member business delegation to advance trade and economic ties. In April 2026, Minister Todd McClay visited Delhi with a delegation of Member of Parliament and business representatives and signed the New Zealand-India FTA with Minister Goyal.
Inaugural defence talks were held in 2025, setting a framework for regular dialogue and new areas of collaboration.
China: A comprehensive and mature relationship
In the last 12 months, nine Ministerial visits to China and the Speaker’s visit with a cross-party delegation advanced and reinforced New Zealand’s commitment to a mature, constructive bilateral relationship: one where substantial areas of bilateral cooperation are pursued where our interests align, and differences addressed by being clear, consistent and proactive in communicating New Zealand’s concerns where needed.
New Zealand’s total trade with China continued to grow strongly, reaching NZD$44.4 billion in the year ending March 2026. In November 2025, the Minister for Trade and Investment led a large trade delegation to Shanghai which facilitated business deals worth up to NZD$450 million. Following visa changes in November 2025, Chinese visitor arrivals have increased over 30 percent, injecting significant additional impetus into New Zealand’s tourism industry.
Budget 2025: Doubling Exports and Asia Uplift
Budget 2025 included new funding of NZD$83.8 million over four years under Vote Foreign Affairs to support the Government’s priorities to double export value and deepen relationships in Asia. This funding has been allocated to increase engagement with India and Southeast Asia partners; tackle non-tariff barriers; and implement, leverage, and expand the existing trade agreements.
Utilising Budget 2025 funding, the Ministry has:
- Established new roles at New Zealand missions in Southeast Asia, to help advance bilateral priorities, including negotiating enhanced market access and tackling non-tariff barriers.
- Established contestable India and Southeast Asia Growth Funds, worth NZD$18 million over four years, for targeted activities supporting Government priorities to double export value and deepen New Zealand’s regional relationships.
New Zealand will continue to focus on lifting effort and engagement in Asia, to enhance our security and prosperity. Funding from Budget 2025 will continue to be allocated to strengthening engagement with India and priority Southeast Asian partners, to reducing non tariff barriers and unlocking greater value from existing and new trade agreements.
Case study: Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies (AOTES) with Singapore
During his visit to Singapore in early May 2026, Prime Minister Luxon and his Singaporean counterpart, Prime Minister Wong, signed the AOTES, a key element of New Zealand’s CSP with Singapore.
AOTES is an agreement that aims to keep the flow of essential supplies open during a crisis.
The AOTES is a world first, treaty level binding agreement in which New Zealand and Singapore have committed not to impose export restrictions on an agreed list of goods during a supply chain disruption. AOTES grew out of cooperation between New Zealand and Singapore to maintain flows of essential goods during COVID-19.
New Zealand’s essential products are focused on fuel, health-related goods and inputs for construction. Singapore is focused on foodstuffs, including dairy, meat, seafood, cereals, fruits and vegetables. The relevance of an agreement on trade in essential supplies was demonstrated during the global fuel supply disruptions related to the recent Middle East crisis. Singapore is currently New Zealand’s fifth largest trade partner, and second largest source for mineral oils and fuels, with New Zealand’s fuel imports from Singapore totalling NZD$3.12 billion in 2025.
Under AOTES both parties have agreed to forgo application of the critical shortages exception in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade for the AOTES agreed list of essential products. The AOTES does not, however, require the governments to intervene in the market to ensure the private sector supplies essential goods to each other, which will remain subject to market forces.
Supply Chain Cooperation
The AOTES also includes provisions related to enhancing New Zealand’s supply chain cooperation with Singapore, primarily in information sharing and ensuring that the movement of goods across borders is as smooth as possible.
A unique agreement built on respect and trust
The AOTES provides a practical example of a cooperative, rules-based approach to strengthening supply chain resilience, and helping ensure the continued flow of essential goods during crises. By being legally binding, it is a world-first agreement, reflecting the strong, collaborative relationship between New Zealand and Singapore. Prime Minister Wong has described the AOTES as representing a new “gold standard” for supply side resilience. New Zealand continues to explore opportunities for further arrangements to bolster supply chain resilience with other key trading partners.