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Treaty of Waitangi
As in all of New Zealand’s recent free trade agreements, our agreement with the EU will contain a Treaty of Waitangi clause that protects the New Zealand government’s ability to adopt any policy it considers necessary to fulfil its obligations to Māori. This is non-negotiable.
Māori exporters and businesses
The government’s new Trade for All agenda wants trade agreements that promote and protect indigenous peoples’ interests. A free trade agreement with the EU will increase opportunities and reduce barriers for Māori businesses in one of the world’s biggest markets.
Read more about the government's Trade for All agenda
Traditional knowledge
New Zealand is committed to achieving provisions that safeguard our rights to protect genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore.
Engagement with Māori
We will continue to engage with Māori groups throughout the negotiation process to ensure that Māori interests are promoted and protected.
We invite you to attend one of our upcoming trade outreach events. In these sessions you will have a chance to hear about the free trade agreements New Zealand is currently negotiating. You will also be able to have your questions answered by MFAT officials.
Read more about upcoming locations and dates for the trade outreach events
We are also planning to hold consultation hui to discuss New Zealand trade policy and consult on the new Trade for All agenda.
Read more about how the government consults with Māori during free trade agreement negotiations
Report on Māori interests in the EU
In 2019, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade together with Te Puni Kōkiri commissioned BERL to put together a report on Māori interests in the EU-NZ FTA in order to better understand the priorities and challenges for Māori exporters in accessing the EU market.
The report highlighted the value of the EU market to Maori businesses but noted the need for greater support to help SMEs. Māori interest in intellectual property protections and treatment for taonga works, taonga species, and matauranga Māori also featured prominently.
Read more
You can read more about Māori interests and what we are aiming to achieve in the negotiations in the document below.
Get in contact
If you have any questions about upcoming Māori consultation or Māori interests in relation to New Zealand trade policy, you can contact us at maori@mfat.govt.nz.