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International
New Zealand Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization elected Chair of the General Council
Earlier this month, New Zealand Ambassador Clare Kelly was appointed as the Chair of the World Trade Organization (WTO) General Council—the highest-level WTO decision-making body in Geneva. It is only the second time a New Zealander has chaired the General Council. Ambassador Kelly will serve in the position for one year and takes over from Ambassador Saqer Abdullah Almoqbel of Saudi Arabia. As Chair, work will focus on achieving consensus on proposals to reform the WTO and the WTO-wide prohibition on the imposition of tariffs on digital trade flows. Ambassador Kelly has served as New Zealand’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the WTO in Geneva since February 2022.
Southeast Asia
Indonesia tightens state control over exports of vital commodities
Indonesia is tightening state control over its globally important natural resources, with new regulations requiring that state-owned enterprises handle exports of key commodities. President Prabowo Subianto said that the new policy will start with palm oil, thermal coal, and nickel products – three commodities in which Indonesia is the world’s leading exporter. “I tell my cabinet, formulate prices for nickel, gold. Every price must be determined by us,” Prabowo said, “If they don’t support our price, then they don’t have to buy it. We can use it ourselves.”
Under the new regulations, a new state-owned enterprise (Danantara Sumberdaya Indonesia) will take over control of exports of these commodities, although more commodities may be added later as the government sees fit.
Lao PDR - Deputy Prime Minister visits New Zealand to discuss development and trade
On 13 – 15 May, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), H.E. Thongsavan Phomvihane, made his first official visit to New Zealand where he met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters and Minister of State for Trade and Investment Nicola Grigg. Discussions were held on growing our two-way trade - especially in areas such as high-quality food and beverages, sustainable agriculture, tourism, and education. New Zealand and Lao PDR have a strong relationship, grounded in a long-standing development partnership and a shared commitment to economic cooperation through agreements such as AANZFTA and RCEP.
Events
Treasury Guest Lecture: The international context for New Zealand trade policy – where we were and where we are – and how do we respond?
30 June 2026
The golden weather for New Zealand trade policy — from 1995 to roughly 2017 — is well and truly over. The world trading system is more turbulent, uncertain and challenging, but New Zealand is well placed to navigate this new world trade disorder. We will, however, need to double-down on three inter-connected ‘pillars’ of trade policy: rules; resilience and innovation.
This presentation — by MFAT’s Deputy Secretary Trade and Economic Group, Vangelis Vitalis — will explain what this means and how it can help us prevent the jungle from growing back.
Links to register
Feedback
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Market reports released this week
- Read the previous global economic round-up
- Japan Economic Update
A full list of global economic round-ups can be found here(external link)
If you would like to request a topic for reporting please email exports@mfat.govt.nz
External links
The following links may provide useful information to businesses:
NZTE’s website(external link) and their myNZTE(external link) provides a range of insights and tools available to support New Zealand exporters.
The Treasury releases a weekly economic update(external link) every Friday. Stats NZ has published a data portal(external link) with near real-time economic indicators.
MBIE publishes a sector reports series(external link) which provides regularly updated reports on all industry sectors that make up the New Zealand economy. These include official economic data and the challenges and opportunities that face New Zealand’s industry sectors.
Business.govt.nz(external link) provides tools and advice from across government to save small businesses’ time and help make the business a success.
MFAT has created a tariff finder(external link) which is designed to help goods exporters and importers maximise benefits from New Zealand’s Free Trade Agreements and compare tariffs in 136 other markets.
The all of government Trade Barriers(external link) website can be used to register any trade barriers experienced or issues exporting to an offshore market. Queries can be sent via the website or through the MFAT Exporter Helpline 0800 824 605. Enquiries will be sent to the government agency best placed to answer.
Tatauranga Aotearoa Stats NZ provides official data on the value of New Zealand’s exports and imports of both goods and services, by commodity type via the New Zealand Trade Dashboard(external link). This interactive dashboard is updated every quarter and allows for filtering by country and by commodity type.
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Learn more about exporting
New Zealand Trade & Enterprise’s comprehensive market guides(external link) cover export regulations, business culture, market-entry strategies and more.
Disclaimer
This information released in this report aligns with the provisions of the Official Information Act 1982. The opinions and analysis expressed in this report are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views or official policy position of the New Zealand Government. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the New Zealand Government take no responsibility for the accuracy of this report.
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