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Opportunities for Māori exporters and businesses
Māori businesses, iwi, hapū and whānau benefitting from the upgrade include those with interests in the forestry, fisheries and food & beverage sectors. Tariff elimination commitments on New Zealand wood and paper exports to China provide further duty savings to Māori exporters. Enhanced trade facilitation measures, including electronic self-declaration of origin provisions, streamlined clearance for perishable goods like seafood, and contact points for New Zealand exporters at key ports in China are all designed to reduce the cost of trade, save time and money, to the benefit of businesses engaged in trade with China.
The Māori economy has an asset base estimated to be worth around $126 billion, contributing significantly to the national economy.
A substantial proportion of Māori export revenue originates from the China market, with a particularly strong concentration in seafood, dairy, red meat and forestry exports. In the year ended December 2024, the value of goods exports to China by Māori authorities was $240 million (27 percent of total goods exports by Māori authorities during this period). This figure does not include exports to China by non-Māori authorities which are sourced from Māori-owned farms and other enterprises. There are also significant linkages in other areas including tourism and digital services.
The Treaty of Waitangi
The free trade agreement with China recognises the importance of the Treaty of Waitangi/te Tiriti o Waitangi to New Zealand in protecting and promoting Māori rights, interests, duties, and responsibilities. As with all free trade agreements that New Zealand has negotiated since 2001, the free trade agreement with China contains a provision that preserves the Government’s ability to meet its obligations to Māori, including under te Tiriti o Waitangi / the Treaty of Waitangi.
Environment and Trade
The upgraded free trade agreement’s enhanced focus on the environment and the introduction of a new Environment and Trade Chapter was welcomed and described as aligning with Māori concern for the environment by Te Taumata(external link) (a key partner for dialogue with the New Zealand Government on trade-related issues).
Traditional knowledge
Our free trade agreement contains safeguards to ensure there are no adverse effects on New Zealand cultural values, including Māori interests. The upgrade to the free trade agreement did not change the right of both New Zealand and China to establish measures to protect genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore consistent with international obligations.
Engagement with Māori
Government decisions on the upgrade to the free trade agreements were and will continue to be informed by Māori concerns and interests.