The Agreement on Trade in Essential Supplies (AOTES) between New Zealand and Singapore entered into force on 17 July 2026.
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AOTES is a first-of-its-kind agreement to help maintain trade between New Zealand and Singapore during a crisis. The Agreement includes binding provisions preventing both governments from imposing export restrictions on an agreed list of goods, and does not undercut any existing commercial arrangements. Some of the essential supplies identified by New Zealand and Singapore include food, fuels, medical equipment and construction materials.
Timeline of AOTES:
- In the face of global supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, New Zealand and Singapore entered into a non-binding Joint Declaration in April 2020 to maintain supply chain continuity and ensure tariffs and other trade barriers were not imposed on essential goods.
- In April 2022, the Singapore – New Zealand Supply Chain Working Group (SCWG) was announced by the Prime Ministers of Singapore and New Zealand.
- On 10 October 2025 New Zealand and Singapore announced conclusion of negotiations.
- On 4 May 2026, AOTES was signed by New Zealand Minister for Trade and Investment Hon Todd McClay and Singapore Minister-in-charge of Energy and Science & Technology Dr Tan Lee Seng, in the margins of the inaugural Singapore-New Zealand Leadership Forum.
- AOTES was ratified and in force in both countries on 17 June 2026, following the exchange of notes between Hon Todd McClay and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Industry Hon Gan Kim Yong
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