Overview

The NZ-UAE free trade agreement, known as the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), entered into force on August 28, 2025.

The UAE is one of New Zealand’s largest markets in the Middle East, with goods and services exports totalling NZ$1.28 billion in the year to March 2025. New Zealand’s key exports to the UAE include dairy, industrial products, meat, horticultural products, and travel services. 

The UAE’s dynamic and high-value market offers significant opportunities for export growth and diversification for New Zealand companies. The CEPA underpins these opportunities and supports the Government’s ambitious goal of doubling the value of exports in 10 years.

The NZ-UAE CEPA negotiations concluded in just over four months — making it New Zealand’s fastest-ever FTA negotiation. 
Key benefits include:

• An important expansion of New Zealand’s free trade agreement network into the Middle East for the first time, providing new opportunities and certainty for traders.
• New Zealand producers have the best-available access to the UAE market, with 99% of New Zealand goods exports able to access the market duty-free – including all New Zealand’s dairy, red meat, horticultural and industrial products immediately from entry into force. 
• A package of trade-facilitative rules that will ensure exporters can easily take advantage of the tariff preferences, as well as on digital trade, non-tariff barriers, intellectual property, and competition, complementing the market access outcomes.
• The provision of transparent, non-discriminatory rules for our services exporters that will ensure a level playing field. Commitments on key services sectors of interest for New Zealand, including professional services, education, and audio-visual and gaming sectors, will ensure exporters receive no less favourable treatment to domestic UAE companies, and in many cases better treatment than that afforded to other foreign service suppliers.
• Significant opportunities to enhance cooperation across areas including agriculture and sustainable energy, aviation, and maritime sectors.
• A Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) concluded in conjunction with the CEPA that promotes and protects investment while ensuring the right to regulate is protected. Consistent with New Zealand’s existing policy settings, the Agreement does not contain Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions. The BIT will enter into force later in 2025.
• Provisions that reflect the opportunities for Māori in the agreement, including the Treaty of Waitangi exception and a dedicated Indigenous Peoples Economic and Trade Cooperation chapter.
• A chapter on Trade and Sustainable Development to promote the interests of women and protect labour rights and climate change laws and regulations. This is consistent with New Zealand’s long-standing trade and environment and trade and labour frameworks.